The National Green Tribunal of India had accused the country of failing to develop an efficient waste tyre management solution. It appealed to the Central Pollution Control Board to devise a strategy to address the alarming issue.

Tyre waste management has become a concerning affair for many countries. Even with extensive government guidelines and recycling efforts, the rubber wheels are disposed improperly, leading to a massive impact on the environment. Modern-day tyres are produced using a combination of natural and synthetic rubber, which fail to decompose after their life cycle. Often, they pile up in junkyards, landfills and other open spots, contributing massively to the rise in pollution levels. Stockpiled waste tyres release methane gas, leading to an increase in carbon footprint and accelerating climate change. 

The Indian sub-continent is a heavy contributor to the menace, with its tyre waste accounting for only 6-7 percent globally, according to media reports. Apart from the domestic tyre manufacturing industry producing millions of tyres a year, it is estimated that around 300,000 tonnes of waste tyres are imported from countries like Australia for recycling and reuse (revealed in media reports). Many developed countries find shipping tyres abroad economically lucrative compared to domestic recycling. 

The used tyres, including those produced domestically, are also used for producing reclaimed rubber, pyrolysis oil and crumb rubber. India stands as the second-largest producer of reclaimed rubber after China. Though India has been recycling and reusing tyres for over four decades, it is estimated that 60 percent are disposed of through illegal dumping, said a media report.

Furthermore, the pyrolysis oil industry has expanded in the country, with villages turning into backyard furnaces at night. Pyrolysis – a form of thermal decomposition – burns tyres to obtain low quality oil while leaving behind an air thick with acrid smoke and soil black with soot. 

The National Green Tribunal of India had accused the country of failing to develop an efficient waste tyre management solution. It appealed to the Central Pollution Control Board to devise a strategy to address the alarming issue. 

Attempting to curb the rising pollution through waste tyres and furthering the country’s commitment towards sustainability, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change tabled a draft notification for regulations on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for waste tyres. 

This policy extends the responsibility of the producer, or importer, to include the disposal of waste tyres and frees consumers from having to worry about responsible disposal.

The notification has been carefully prepared by a committee comprising representatives from the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Central Pollution Control Board, National Highway Authority of India, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other private companies and associations involved in the subject. 

The document categorises EPR obligation on the basis of weight (kg or tonnes). According to it, the manufacturers and importers of new tyres have to recycle 35 percent of all new tyres produced or imported in 2020-21 within fiscal 2022-23. The EPR obligations for 2023-24 will be to recycle 70 percent of tyres manufactured or imported in 2021-22. Further down the line, the business category in question will have to recycle 100 percent of tyres produced or imported in 2022-23 as part of EPR goals for fiscal 2024-25. 

Following the realisation of the target till FY25, manufacturers and importers will have to recycle 100 percent of the tyres. However, the waste tyre importers must undertake 100 percent recycling of rubber wheels brought in from abroad each year. According to the new draft, importing waste tyres for producing pyrolysis oil has also been banned. The draft is slated to come into effect from FY23.

However, the document has no mention of retreaders, who are an integral part of tyre reuse and recycling. Speaking on the issue, Karun Sanghi, President, Tyre Retreading Education Association, explained, “The government, in its new draft notification, has tried to cover three aspects – recycle, reuse and reduce. It attempts to reduce the number of tyres produced to bring down wastage. But in India, reducing the production numbers is tough as the transport sector is expanding. The government is improving the roads to increase tyre life, so the numbers will not be affected massively.”

Commenting on whether retreaders are not an integral part of tyre waste management, the industry veteran explained, “The interpretation of the policy decides whether retreaders are an important part or not. The government believes that tyres are produced and then recycled to obtain crumb rubber, reclaimed rubber, pyrolysis oil and carbon black. The government is trying to bring a law to recycle all tyres through this notification. But if the government wants to improve the environment, then the draft has to include the reuse of tyres. If the tyres produced can be reused, more tyres will not be manufactured, and the overall impact on the environment will be less.”

“The government feels that retreading is an intermediary step, and tyres will eventually come for recycling. Hence, it wants the OEMs to take full responsibility,” he added. 

“The government has iterated about reusing tyres, but in the current policy, it has not laid much emphasis on the concept as this process is mainly given shape by retreaders. And the last part of the policy talks about recycling. But what retreaders feel is that reuse is an integral part to gain sustainability, and the government should give weightage to it,” he added. 

Commenting on the association’s attempt to include retreaders within the draft’s ambit, the managing director of Tyresoles said, “We have been in talks with the government ministry but have not received any final answer on the issue.” 

“The current draft notification will help the country as it will make tyre companies responsible for waste disposal. So, tyres will have to be converted into crumb rubber, reclaimed rubber etc. So, the companies will improve the environment,” explained Sanghi. 

Explaining the draft’s ban on imports for deriving pyrolysis oil, he said, “Producing pyrolysis oil from imported tyres hurts the country’s sustainability goals as the indigenous tyre waste is neglected.”

“The retreading market is not performing well as of now. Lockdowns have eased, but vehicles have to move for six months for tyre wear. So, we will have to wait for a couple of months to realise market performance. It will pick up after six months,” he contended while answering a question pertaining to the future of retreading. 

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Pirelli has entered into a strategic agreement with Swedish technology firm Univrses to integrate artificial intelligence-based computer vision systems into its Cyber Tyre platform. As part of the deal, Pirelli has acquired a 30 percent stake in Univrses, with an option to increase that share to a majority holding. The collaboration will embed Univrses’ 3DAI technologies into Pirelli’s existing Cyber Tyre solutions, creating a unified system aimed at producing safer and higher performing vehicles.

The combined technology has potential applications in advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving. It also generates timely, actionable data for road management, helping authorities make better decisions and deploy resources more efficiently. This could lead to fewer road accidents and saved lives. The system uses onboard cameras and tyres to collect feedback on road conditions. Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre, the first integrated hardware and software system of its kind, gathers data from tyre sensors, processes it with proprietary algorithms and communicates in real time with vehicle electronics and the cloud.

Univrses originally developed its technology to help cars understand their surroundings, but it has since been adapted to turn vehicles into AI-powered road monitoring agents. The Swedish company’s 3DAI Engine provides autonomous vehicles with perception capabilities including 3D positioning, mapping and spatial deep learning. Its 3DAI system digitises roadside infrastructure using data from vehicle-mounted sensors like cameras.

A pilot project is already active in Italy. In 2025, Pirelli and the Puglia Region launched a road network monitoring system to create an updated map of infrastructure conditions. The system analyses data from tyres via the Cyber Tyre platform alongside visual data from cameras interpreted by Univrses’ technology.

Andrea Casaluci, CEO, Pirelli, said, “The agreement with Univrses further enhances our Cyber Tyre™ platform, thanks to advanced AI‑based artificial vision technologies. The collaboration between Pirelli and Univrses will make a significant contribution to the ongoing transformation of cars into true software‑defined vehicles.”

Jonathan Selbie, CEO, Univrses, said, “Continuous monitoring and data are becoming the new foundation for infrastructure asset management, and Univrses technology is able to provide powerful analytical capabilities based on reliable and frequently updated data. In this context, we are pleased to welcome Pirelli as an investor and to take our partnership to the next level: we will join forces to deliver increasingly advanced services and products.”

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ZC Rubber is preparing a major European-focused showcase at THE TIRE COLOGNE, scheduled to run from 9 to 11 June 2026. The tyre manufacturer will occupy Booth C050g in Hall 8.1, highlighting its WESTLAKE and GOODRIDE brands with a clear emphasis on products tailored specifically for regional market demands.

The display will blend imminent and future innovations. Products destined for a European launch in the latter half of 2026 will appear alongside the company’s current truck and bus radial lineup. Selected previews of developments planned for 2027 will also be on view. A featured attraction is the Westlake Sport RS2, a drift-proven ultra-high-performance tyre praised for its grip, precision and 180 treadwear rating. A renewed rubber compound, developed through work with the Red Bull Driftbrothers, now delivers steadier traction under severe driving conditions. Appearing at the stand, Red Bull Driftbrothers driver and engineer Elias Hountondji will illustrate how motorsport data directly refines ZC Rubber’s product engineering.

Additional new passenger car radial models for Europe in the second half of 2026 include the Westlake ZuperFlex Z-137, Goodride RideMax G-147, the all-season Westlake Zuper4S Z-411 and the off-road focused Westlake Terra Legend SL399 and Goodride Mud Legend SL388. On the truck and bus side, already available tyres such as the Westlake WSL2, Westlake WDL2+ and Goodride S2, D3 and D4 will be exhibited, covering steer and drive axle needs for long-haul and heavy-duty transport.

A sneak peek at 2027 offerings will feature the Westlake Z-301 commercial van tyre, Goodride All Season G-721, Goodride SnowComfort G-518 and new TBR models including the Westlake WTL2, Westlake WTR OEM and Goodride M2. ZC Rubber’s team will remain on-site throughout the event, welcoming visitors and partners to the booth for meetings and professional discussions.

Leo Liao, General Manager, ZC Rubber Europe, said, “This year’s showcase reflects a much broader and more complete portfolio for Europe. From UHP and all-season tyres to all-terrain, mud-terrain and TBR solutions, we are bringing new developments across almost every major segment. This reflects how seriously we take the European market: we are listening to local needs, investing in the right products and building a portfolio that better matches the needs of our European partners.”

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Magna Tyres has launched the MA801 TR, a new solid tyre engineered for extreme operating conditions in recycling facilities and heavy industrial settings. Designed to maximise equipment uptime while supporting high load capacities, the tyre is built to deliver dependable performance in harsh environments. The official debut of the MA801 TR will take place at IFAT 2026 in Munich, scheduled from 4 to 7 May 2026.

The new model is intended for compact wheel loaders and telescopic handlers, featuring a flat-free solid construction. Its extra-deep non‑directional tread is reinforced by a triangular structural design, which enhances traction and stability on surfaces littered with sharp debris. Available in sizes 13.00‑24 and 14.00‑24, the tyre prioritises puncture resistance and reduced maintenance needs.

Thanks to its robust architecture and deep tread profile, the MA801 TR offers an extended service life and consistent performance across demanding work cycles. By eliminating the risk of flats, Magna Tyres positions the tyre as a reliable solution for recycling and industrial operations where continuous heavy loads are standard.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has secured validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a prominent corporate climate-action organisation, for its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets set for 2035. This endorsement confirms that the company’s goals are scientifically aligned with the standards established under the Paris Agreement. The validated targets are measured relative to the company’s 2024 emission levels.

Under the approved framework, Yokohama Rubber aims for a 63.0 percent reduction in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which cover direct emissions from its business activities as well as indirect emissions from purchased energy. Additionally, the company commits to a 37.5 percent cut in Scope 3 emissions, specifically targeting indirect supply chain emissions from purchased products and services, along with fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2. To achieve these reductions, Yokohama Rubber has been expanding solar power generation and renewable energy electricity at its global plants, while also disclosing indirect emissions from product distribution, use and disposal since 2013.

The company obtained SBTi validation to accelerate supply-chain-wide emission cuts in response to intensifying climate challenges. Operating under its sustainability management slogan, ‘Caring for the Future’, Yokohama Rubber continues to create shared value by tackling social issues directly through its business operations.

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