UK tyre bodies unite to call for DEFRA action – end T-8 exemption and whole tyre exports

TRA, ITMA, BTMA, NTDA, representing every stage of car tyre industry, write to Secretary of State, Steve Reed MP

Following Labour’s first budget, UK industry call for reforms to improve environmental management, secure British industry and contribute to national wealth creation

Friday 01 November, the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA), the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association, the British Tyre Manufacturers Association and the National Tyre Distributors Association have written a joint letter to the DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed MP.

This is the first time all the Associations have issued a joint plea for reform and reflects the urgency of the challenges UK’s tyre industry operators face. The letter, timed to focus regulators minds following the Labour government’s first budget, asks for action on industry issues that have immediate bearing on the objectives Steve Reed and the Labour government have set to protect nature and the environment.

The rapid review of the EIP the Secretary of State announced at the end of July is considered as an opportunity to revitalise a stalled waste tyre policy process, but the letter goes on to state that there is no need to wait to enact reforms already approved. The signatories call on the government to use a device called ‘operational condition’, this is available to Steve Reed as Secretary of States and could be used to save parliamentary time and give the government an immediate success by stopping the current inadequate regulatory regime British tyre operators are working under.

“Latest figures show more than 300,000 tons of UK end-of-life tyre are exported per annum, which is far too many given that the UK has at least 150,000 tons of idle domestic processing capacity. This must be reflected in the EIP and any roadmap to create a zero-waste economy. What our members need, however, is action now. Not new action but the implementation of the rules that have been stalled.

• Ending T8 exemptions (announced some years ago, but no action has followed. Scottish authorities ended T8 exemption in 2018)
• Ending exports of whole end-of-life car tyres (ELTs) (as Australia has demonstrated, a simple and effective means of addressing environmental concerns and ensuring domestic capability)”

The trade bodies issue this unusual joint letter to add weight to the arguments that unite operators in all sectors of the UK tyre industry, from manufacturers and importers to distributors and recovery operators, they want to see environmental regulations improved to deliver a stable and sustainable industry to provide investors with the confidence required to deliver the next generation of technological solutions and strengthen domestic resilience.

Peter Taylor OBE, Secretary General of the TRA, who coordinated the letter said:

“When an industry comes together to speak with one voice, the government must listen. These reforms are needed if Steve Reed is going to deliver his important environmental objectives.  But, just as importantly, they are needed if the UK is to have a domestic tyre industry that is economically viable and contributes to government’s stated objective of national economic growth.”

ENDS