It is also time to highlight the role of the circular economy in advancing this objective of restricting waste generation to a maximum. A system whose expansion positively impacts actions against the other two problems.
Now, the fact that the Week is over does not mean at all that the work that organizations, administrations, social entities, companies, productive sectors, etc. constantly carry out in favor of the circular economy, waste reduction and sustainable consumption.
It happens, however, that this work is normally carried out “internally”, and that it does not usually make it to the news. For example, the one carried out by Signus, a non-profit entity that guarantees the correct management of end-of-use tires. In part, Signus’ activity begins from the moment the tires end their useful life. Another part, which is equally important, is the implementation of business prevention and eco-design plans, which identify all the actions that bonded tire manufacturers can take to extend the life of their products and, therefore, prevent waste generation.
In the order of preference for actions to reduce and manage waste, “proposing prevention measures is the first option and is also a legal obligation of producers, in this case tire manufacturers. At Signus, we prepare these prevention plans on behalf of the participating companies and make them available to them. Then, they are the ones who decide which ones apply,” explains Román Martín, director of Institutional Relations at Signus.
Therefore, business prevention plans, which are valid for four years, are a fundamental tool to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. A guide that contains measures that cover the entire life cycle of the tire, from design to manufacturing, through distribution, use and consumption and, finally, recycling and recovery when its useful life cycle ends.
The proposals are grouped into four objectives: extend useful life, facilitate reuse, facilitate recycling and advance towards the circular economy in tire manufacturing. And no group can lose sight of the fact that, as expressed in the Plan for preventing the generation of end-of-life tires, “the design of tires has to achieve a balance between certain factors that guarantee the success of the product. The three fundamental variables are: safety of the occupants, protection and sustainability of the environment and performance of the vehicle»-
Ecodesign, the starting point for everything
«Those aimed at extending their durability are based on eco-design. Manufacturers have programs to introduce new materials into manufacturing, typically sustainable materials both new and recycled, and new formulations and designs to increase mileage performance. That is a very clear objective, -continues Martín-, common to all producers and with very positive results. According to our analysis, mileage performance has increased by up to 20%. Which means that the tire lasts longer today than it did a few years ago.
Another recent and important development that the Signus expert points out is “what we know as connectivity. Tires are equipped with sensors that record certain parameters about their condition. This makes their maintenance and repair easier, therefore affecting the right of consumers to repair them. And it has a very important impact in terms of extending its duration.”
Other actions have made it possible to “reduce the unit weight of the tire, up to 6% in the same range. Which implies less use of new raw materials for the same service, to which we must add the increase in recycled materials, coming from the recycling of others.
This whole set of measures entails economic benefits, “both for manufacturers and for consumers because if they last longer, it will take longer to change them,” says Martín, putting materials back into the cycle, that is, circular economy, and reducing the generation of waste. .
Reuse, another way to reduce waste
“When the tires reach our managers, they are the ones who separate those that have a possible second life, that is, those that can be retreaded or re-sculpted, from those that are going to be recycled,” details Martín in reference to the measures of the Plan. Business for Prevention of out-of-use tires.
He also underlines the role of recyclers “who contribute their knowledge to help solve from the beginning difficulties that may arise when managing tires at that stage, due to new formulations, for example, and that may interfere with their recovery.”
In summary, Román Martin figures “more than 3,000 measures by the more than 300 producers attached to Signus.”
Consumers’ turn
Once the wheels are put on the vehicle and it is started to roll, its owners also have a series of measures at their disposal to extend its useful life. It boils down to maintaining the tires properly, for which Signus provides these recommendations:
· Go to a specialist to check them.
· Check the tire pressure (always when cold). This should always be done before a long journey, taking into account that the ideal pressure depends on each vehicle, but other factors such as the number of passengers, average speed, time, or luggage also influence.
· Check the tire tread and wear, especially after the summer months, as the heat causes tire wear to increase. And never forget that any vehicle that circulates with a tire tread depth of less than 1.6 mm not only lacks the necessary safety guarantees, but is not legally authorized to travel on the road.
· Driving parallel to the vehicle in poor condition accelerates tire wear without the driver being aware of it in many cases.