The Imported Tyre Manufacturers' Association
ITMA
The Imported Tyre Manufacturers' Association is a trade association representing new tyre manufacturers and tyre branders whose manufacturing bases are located outside the EU.
ID: 874349726368-52
Lobbying Activity
Response to Evaluation and potential revision of the EU tyre labelling scheme
8 Aug 2017
The International Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA), whose membership includes 20 global tyre manufacturers, has added its support to the EU’s re-evaluation of the EU tyre labelling scheme and confirmed its willingness to cooperate with the assessment.
The review primarily seeks to assess how well the scheme has achieved the main objective of the tyre-labelling regulations defined as: ‘to increase the economic and environmental efficiency, as well as the safety, of road transport by promoting fuel efficient and safe tyres with low external rolling noise’. However, the review also includes the scope for adding new criteria to the existing three performance measures displayed (wet grip, rolling resistance and road noise) as well as proposing legislative change.
The four policy options under EU consideration are:
1. No action
2. Non-legislative action to improve the implementation of the scheme
3. Targeted legislative amendments, for instance by introducing new performance information on the label or by adding a requirement for suppliers and distributors to upload tyre information to a digital registration database
4. An extensive revision of the Regulation, for example to introduce mandatory and independent third-party testing of tyre performance
ITMA President, Alfred Graham, said: “ITMA is fully supportive of any measure that improves tyre safety, an objective the introduction the tyre-labelling regulation sought to achieve.
“If that means more can be done to increase motorists’ awareness and understanding of the information on the labels, ITMA will gladly play its part. A critical element of the scheme was to inform consumers of the relative value and environmental benefits of the tyres they are considering buying, so they might be able to make an informed purchasing decision. Achieving that is essential if further performance ratings are to be added to the labelling, a proposal which ITMA also believes has merit, especially for winter and retread tyres.
“Fundamentally, of course, the accurate and consistent assessment of tyre performance is critical and to the benefit of all parties. Should viable means to enhancing existing practises be found, ITMA would once again be supportive of such changes.”
For more information on ITMA, please visit www.itma-europe.com
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