ETRMA publishes two reports on tire & road particles

Brussels – The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has published two report outlining actions needed to address the tire & road wear particles (TRWP) issue.

The reports followed a year-long collaboration under the European TRWP Platform, an initiative of ETRMA which brought together the main organisations related to TRWP well as research institutes and EU policy makers. 

The new reports, ETRMA said 7 Oct, highlight potential mitigation measures to reduce generation and transportation of TRWP and call for additional research where knowledge gaps exist.

The “way forward report” explores the most promising ways of mitigating the environmental impact of TRWP that were jointly identified during meetings of the platform, according to ETRMA. 

This includes measures to address TRWP generation and TRWP capture and removal. 

The document also provides recommendations and pathways for continued cross-sector collaboration. 

The second report, “scientific report on TRWP in the aquatic environment” was prepared by Professor Dr. Martin Jekel from TU Berlin.

The research summarises the existing scientific research and knowledge gaps on TRWP from generation to freshwater systems based on the available literature. This review also identifies several future avenues for research. 

“The topic of TRWP is very complex and our knowledge is still very limited,” said Dr. Jekel commenting on the report.

Jekel expects considerable progress to be achieved in the coming years in the understanding of TRWP, as several on-going research projects will help support or reject several hypotheses or assumptions. 

“They will contribute to the evaluation of the effects of TRWP in the environment and will be the basis for decisions on optional countermeasures,” he said.

TRWP refers to small particles, from the tire and the road, formed during normal driving conditions as a result of the friction between the two surfaces. 

“As a sector, we are faced with the complex challenge of reducing the generation of tire and road wear particles without impacting the important role tires play in road safety and mobility,” said Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary general of ETRMA. 

The issue, according to Cinaralp, can only be addressed by bringing all parties involved together for an open dialogue on potential solutions and collaborations.