American politics, especially the quadrennial presidential election, is closely followed by people world over, and with good reason. America is the world’s most dominant economy, and there are literally hundreds of millions who, given a chance, wish to immigrate to America or have relatives & friends living there. No doubt, American government policies do have global implications.

Democrats’ luck

It is interesting, even for a casual observer, to look back three decades, to see how American two-party political system has been evolving. It seems that Republican presidents have been dealt poorer hands than Democrat presidents. Republican George H.W. Bush was successful in driving Saddam Hussain out of Kuwait in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. At that time, even though American economy was humming along a respectable clip of 3.5% annual GDP growth, Democrats and the media convinced Americans that the economy was struggling, thereby helping Clinton defeat Bush. In 2001, only a few months after President George W. Bush took office, America was attacked on 9/11/2001, that led to long wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and partly causing the great depression of 2008. During Trump’s 2017 – 2019 leadership, economy was growing solidly, but then COVID-19 hit in 2020 and Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020. Democrats and the media were successful in using the pandemic in a couple ways to defeat Trump, who has maintained that the election was “stolen” from him, alleging that many states took advantage of lockdown to conduct election without proper controls.

On the other hand, look at Democrat Presidents. Bill Clinton benefited from the 1994-to-2000 dot-com boom. In 2009, Obama became president when the 2008 depression had run its course, and it had nowhere to go but up. It looks like Biden is going to benefit from economy’s revival as vaccine availability controls the pandemic.

Current State of American politics

Cynicism towards entrenched politicians and government has been growing and that’s what fuelled Trump’s surprise win in 2016. Trump, an outsider, promised to push conservative agenda of smaller government, self-reliance and draining the “swamp” in Washington. Of course, it upset the “establishment” comprising of traditional politicians and liberal media. So, Trump had a bulls-eye painted on his back and the establishment tried to get rid of him from day one. It appears that an Unholy Trinity – Democrats, liberal media and high-tech companies -has been consolidating for the past four years, and the Republican party will suffer in future elections.

Biden presidency

Biden, the oldest president in recent history, ran mostly a virtual campaign, but was propelled to victory as the media and Democrats vilified Trump. Biden has pledged to unify the country after the tumultuous years of the Trump presidency, and Democrats are vowing to use their control of the House, the Senate and the White House, for the first time in more than a decade, to enact a “bold” agenda. The disappointed supporters of President Trump fear that Biden’s bold agenda means undoing Trump initiatives AND imposing more liberal / progressive policy initiatives. And Biden has done just that! On his very first day in office, he issued several executive orders and directives to re-join Paris Climate Accord, World Health Organization and undo Trump’s immigration initiatives, to mention a few. The Congress is proceeding with its unprecedented plan to impeach Trump, with two goals. One, to ensure that Trump can never run for a public office again, and second, to send a message to future “Trumps” that outsiders are not welcome in the traditional political club.

With the unholy trinity dominating American politics, the country appears to be headed away from capitalism and towards socialism. Although, the country is crushing under a whopping national debt of $30 trillion and growing, nobody seems to be overly concerned about it as America’s creditworthiness, due to huge economy, is good and government’s power to levy and collect higher tax.

Many observers do not expect Biden to complete his full-term in office, due to his advanced age, thus propelling Kamala Harris to presidency and America to more socialism. Stay tuned!

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Tegeta Green Planet recently conducted an educational workshop at AlterBridge University, focusing on sustainable development, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Extended Producer Responsibility system. The session provided students with essential knowledge regarding proper waste management and the environmental consequences of daily consumer choices.

Organised in partnership with Shine Energy, the event featured an interactive format that included a discussion segment, an engaging game and a concluding ceremony to recognise the workshop's top performers. This collaborative effort aimed to make the learning process both informative and participatory.

As a pioneering entity in Georgia, Tegeta Green Planet holds official authorisation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture under the EPR framework. The organisation is actively involved in the circular economy by managing the collection, transport and recycling of used tyres, oils and batteries.

Throughout the workshop, students posed inquiries to industry experts and explored how personal actions influence ecological well-being. Attendees received symbolic gifts and certificates for their participation. This initiative is part of a broader educational campaign by the organisation to visit universities and schools throughout Georgia, with the ultimate goal of fostering environmentally conscious citizenship among the youth.

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The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has initiated a pilot study in collaboration with the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority (SIAAP) and the sustainability consultancy ERM to assess the potential of wastewater treatment plants to remove tyre and road wear particles. The research is being conducted at the Valenton wastewater treatment facility near Paris, which ranks as Europe’s second-largest plant and features advanced treatment technologies representative of modern municipal systems. This investigation is scheduled to continue through 2026.

In numerous urban centres globally, stormwater and road runoff are channelled into wastewater systems prior to being discharged into natural waterways. A clearer understanding of how effectively these treatment processes capture TRWP could guide the broader adoption of optimised wastewater management practices. Currently, systematic data quantifying the removal of these particles within treatment plants remains scarce, and this project aims to generate comprehensive, end-to-end evidence to bridge that knowledge deficit.

The study represents TIP’s first real-world application of a priority mitigation strategy identified in its white paper on addressing tire and road wear particles. Over the coming months, researchers will collect and analyse samples from key stages of the Valenton plant’s treatment cycle using advanced pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The findings are expected to estimate the total removal efficiency across the entire process and will be submitted to a scientific journal, with publication anticipated in early 2027.

The scientific understanding of TRWP is complicated by a lack of standardised methodologies, the variable nature of the particles and their transformation products, and the diverse environmental pathways they traverse. In response, TIP and its member companies have committed to advancing research on quantification, characterisation, environmental migration and potential impacts while collaborating with value-chain stakeholders to support science-based interventions. A 2024 TIP publication reviewed over 50 mitigation measures and prioritised nine based on upstream and downstream potential, employing a prevention, containment and removal framework.

That review also concluded that no single measure has been proven effective specifically for TRWP and that on-ground validation is essential. Moreover, the paper stressed that no universal solution exists, requiring coordinated, large-scale implementation across multiple actors, including the tyre, road construction and automotive sectors, as well as municipal authorities, academia and other public and private entities. The Valenton pilot thus marks TIP’s inaugural effort to test wastewater management’s real-world efficacy, uniting diverse stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in this critical research.

Larisa Kryachkova, Executive Director, TIP, said, “This pilot is an important step in going beyond understanding the subject in the laboratory to field-based evidence. We expect to identify best practices that can be applied far beyond this project, supporting TIP’s ambition to support science-based mitigation.”

Sabrina Guérin, Head of Innovation Department, SIAAP, said, “As the public authority responsible for wastewater treatment in the Paris region, SIAAP is committed to emerging science that protects waterways. By taking part in this TIP study, we will gain an early, science-based view of TRWP movement in solid waste. The findings can help inform and accompany future treatment planning and readiness for upcoming regulatory requirements.”

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Falken has been named the recipient of the prestigious BRV Service Award, as announced by the German Tyre Retail and Vulcanisation Trade Association during its General Meeting on 8 June 2026. As a brand operating under Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH, Falken emerged victorious from a competitive online survey where over 250 tyre trade members cast their votes to determine the industry’s most outstanding partner.

This accolade specifically recognises Falken’s superior service standards and its commitment to fostering a reliable and cooperative relationship with its retail partners. The overwhelming vote of confidence from the trade serves as a significant form of recognition for the company, while simultaneously acting as a powerful incentive for the entire Falken workforce to maintain their high-performance levels.

Thomas Langer, Sales Director Germany, Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH, said, “The news of a top ranking in the BRV Service Award was already a special honour, as it comes directly from the specialist tyre trade. We are now even more delighted to celebrate the overall victory. We would like to express our sincere thanks for this recognition. First place confirms our commitment to offering Falken partners not only reliable and safe products, but above all, dependable service, personalised support and a truly partnership-based collaboration. The fact that the trade has voted the entire team’s efforts into first place motivates us to continue pursuing our goals with determination.”

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The Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) has concluded its participation at The Tire Cologne 2026 with a positive assessment, operating through a network of 19 affiliated organisations across Europe. Their shared exhibition space in Hall 7.1 emerged as a central meeting point during the industry's premier global gathering. Key episodes included a governmental visit, a strategic industry forum and recognition for emerging enterprises.

An immersive installation greeted visitors to the AZuR area, with the entire floor surface consisting of resilient tiles produced from recycled tyre rubber supplied by network affiliate MRH Mülsen. This practical display offered a compelling illustration of how discarded materials can be transformed into functional products. The collaborative exhibition model proved highly favourable among attendees and participating companies alike.

The initiative broadened its collaborative base during the fair, securing commitments from new entities in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands to advance shared sustainability objectives. North Rhine-Westphalia's environment minister, Oliver Krischer, toured the exhibition as part of a broader initiative to spotlight regional excellence in circular practices, observing demonstrations spanning digital monitoring, alternative materials and recovery processes.

A dedicated assembly on tyre retreading drew roughly 40 specialists from manufacturing, materials supply and trade associations. Conversations revolved around the technology's track record and adaptation to market conditions, referencing recent environmental performance data. Survey feedback indicated robust confidence in retreading's financial and environmental merits, though participants identified competition from lower-cost imports as a primary obstacle.

The programme concluded with the LOOP THE TYRE competition awards. The top honour went to Machine-Vision.io from Reutlingen for its optical evaluation system streamlining used tyre assessment. Sustainable Rubber Solutions from the Netherlands received second prize for its chemical innovation enabling rubber reintegration into new compounds, while Austria's ReTyre project claimed third for developing a scalable devulcanisation method for tyre-to-tyre recycling.

Anna-Maria Guth, AZuR Network Coordinator, said, “TTC impressively demonstrated the high level of interest in a functioning tyre circular economy. We were particularly pleased with the exceptionally positive atmosphere at our joint stand. Our partners see themselves as equal contributors to a common goal and as partners in a strong alliance for the future.”

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