CEOs of several tire manufacturers recently convened to review progress and confirm the ongoing mandate of the leading global forum for tire manufacturers on sustainability issues. Founded in 2005, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) is a global CEO-led initiative undertaken by leading tire manufacturing companies to research potential human health and environmental impacts of tires throughout their lifecycle. TIP operates under the umbrella of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and is co-chaired by Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Michelin.

Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap, was published in May 2021 by TIP member companies in consultation with value-chain stakeholders. The Roadmap identifies how the tire value chain interacts with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); the areas where the tire sector can have the most significant impact; and, key actions to scale and accelerate contribution to the SDGs.

On the publication of the 2021 edition of the TIP report on environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) for tire manufacturing, the CEOs reiterated their expectations that the Roadmap makes important contributions to sustainable mobility and requested that ongoing KPI reporting is adapted to contribute to measure company progress toward the SDGs.

CEOs recognized TIP’s progress in tire and road wear particle (TRWP) research and communication, underlining the importance of a new website that shares all TIP TRWP research and provides an accessible multimedia introduction to the topic. CEOs went on to note the significance of recently published TIP-sponsored research, including a chemical mapping study.

Acknowledging recent growth in scientific interest in TRWP, the CEOs confirmed that improving the scientific understanding of TRWP remains a TIP high priority. The CEOs went on to validate a TRWP work plan for 2022-2023, building on more than a decade of TIP-sponsored TRWP research and featuring continued exposure and hazard assessments – including field sampling, assessment of tread leachates, and the potential for bioaccumulation. The work plan will also see further development of scientific methods and standards for TRWP research that will be of benefit to the scientific community.

Representing more than 60% of the world’s tire manufacturing capacity, TIP member CEOs meet biennially to review project progress and approve a two-year work plan. The work plan is also reviewed by an Assurance Group of independent scientists who provide guidance on the scientific relevance and robustness of planned research.