With warmer weather and leaves on the trees, a lot of activity is taking place in the tire sector.

Some claim that spring is the best season, and why not? The days get longer, leaves on the trees grow, flowers bloom, and the warmer weather means we get to spend more time enjoying the great outdoors. Spring of course is also the time to switch out winter tires for summer rubber.

When seasonal temperatures climb above the ‘magic’ 7 °C, mark, that’s when summer tires start coming into their own, delivering high grip levels on wet and dry roads, great stability in the curves, and ensuring optimal mileage performance as the mercury climbs.

Spring campaign

By the time you read this, TRAC’s spring consumer tire education campaign will have launched. This year, our survey revealed that over three-quarters (77%) of Canadian motorists know that correctly inflated tires improve fuel economy, lessen vehicle emissions, and protect the environment. Proper inflation also improves safety, performance, and longevity. To read the full survey results, go to tracanada.ca.

Spring is also a time for government consultations. The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA)—the regulator mandated by the Government of Ontario to enforce the province’s circular economy law—sought feedback concerning the use of collected funds from administrative penalties (AP). TRAC supported the proposal that any funds collected from an AP issued to a registrant in the tires program would then be applied to the tires program budget, thereby reducing tire program fees for all tires program registrants.

TIP update

TRAC has also been actively engaged in the work of the Tire Industry Project. TIP is comprised of leading tire companies and is the primary global forum for the tire industry on sustainability issues. TRAC has been supporting efforts on changes to the Harmonized System (HS) codes which are used worldwide for the uniform classification of goods traded internationally, to strengthen the circular economy of tires.

Additionally, a TIP delegation attended the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Ottawa in April to help develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. On a related note, on April 20th the Federal Government issued a notice of intent to establish a plastics registry to conduct research, create an inventory of data, formulate objectives and codes of practice, issue guidelines, or assess or report on the state of the environment.

This registry does include tires. TRAC will be invited to participate in a Tire Working Group that will help develop guidelines for our industry.

Looking ahead, we will be having a new TRAC Director of Operations joining our team to replace the irreplaceable Barry Yutronkie who retires at the end of May. Additionally, I’ll be attending and speaking at the USTMA Tire Recycling Conference in Atlanta, Ga., (May 14-17).

To learn more about the conference, go to stref.org.