An Interview with TRAC President Carol Hochu…

The tire industry doesn’t stand still, and during 2024 we saw a lot of changes and initiatives taking place. Recently, Autosphere had a chance to sit down with Carol Hochu, President of the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC), to discuss some of these and what it means for the sector. Here’s what she had to say:

Autosphere: In looking back at 2024, what do you feel have been some of the most significant milestones for TRAC?

Carol Hochu: There are a few that spring to mind. Back in 2021 when I took the helm at TRAC, we implemented an industry leadership awards program. To date, I’m proud that we’ve had a plethora of nominations, and the TRAC awards review committee has picked some very worthy individuals and organizations to celebrate achievements in leadership, young leaders as well as sustainability, and lifetime achievement. This program continues to grow in scope and popularity as we witnessed this year, and we look forward to hosting it again in 2025. We also saw a major staff transition in 2024 with Barry Yutronkie, TRAC’s Director of Operations, deciding to retire, which he did at the end of June. We wish Barry all the best in his retirement and to replace him, we’ve brought on Mahmood Habibnia as our new Director of Operations. Mahmood comes to us with many years of global tire industry experience for Michelin and Goodyear and has a master’s degree in chemical engineering. We are delighted to have him on board and wish him the greatest of success in his new role.

AS: Can you tell us about some of the current trends impacting the tire sector?

CH: If we look at influencing factors for the industry during 2024, there is great interest in environmental sustainability and end-of-life tire (ELT) management for a range of products, including tires. A goal in ELT is for markets to pull demand so there’s no longer a need for subsidies. There’s still a lot of regulatory work on the environmental/ELT front, both within Canada and beyond our shores. We are fortunate in this country that we have regulated tire recycling programs in all 10 provinces and one territory, along with active involvement at the federal level. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is currently a major area of focus, with the Government of Canada looking at the introduction of a plastics registry, that also includes tires. So, there’s a tremendous amount of interest and activity around environmental oversight, including end-of-life tires and chemicals. TRAC has been fortunate in having established good relationships with key government departments including Environment and Climate Change Canada, Transport Canada, and many provincial programs. Globally, we’re also connected to other tire trade associations, particularly our friends at the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA). We’re also involved with the Tire Industry Project (TIP), a group that nests under the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. This group is helping to lead the charge globally on many issues, particularly tire and road wear particles (TRWP). They’re also actively engaged in the Global Plastics Treaty, a United Nations agreement that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040. As we speak, the next meeting is underway in Busan, South Korea. For us, it’s good to have colleagues from around the world with whom we can share information, support, and collaborate.

AS: What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities impacting the tire industry today?

CH: Besides government focus and regulations on environmental sustainability, which we’ve already touched on a little, another focus for many stakeholders is 6PPD and 6PPD-q (Quinone). 6PPD is a chemical used in tires as an antioxidant and antiozonant, protecting the components of the tire from attack by ozone, oxygen, and other factors. Without 6PPD, a tire’s integrity would be severely and quickly compromised, jeopardizing driver and passenger safety. 6PPD-q is a recently discovered transformation product of 6PPD that may form when 6PPD reacts with oxygen or ozone under certain conditions. 6PPDQ is not used in U.S. tire manufacturing.

The same month that 6PPDQ was identified, the tire industry requested California regulators to prioritize a review of 6PPD in tires under the California Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR). To our knowledge, ours is the only industry that has ever asked to be part of the California program.

When California regulators listed 6PPD in tires as a priority product, my counterparts at the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) assembled a consortium of more than 30 tire manufacturers from across the world to prepare a Preliminary (Stage 1) Alternatives Analysis (AA) to identify and evaluate potential alternatives to 6PPD in tires. The Consortium is actively working to identify possible alternatives (appropriate reactivity with oxygen and ozone, proper migration rates through the rubber matrix, etc.) that warrant further review of their potential impact on sensitive aquatic species. The Consortium advanced its work meeting compliance milestones in 2024, paving the way for Stage 2 research that will further investigate potential replacements for the use of 6PPD in motor vehicle tires. California regulators praised the Consortium for its “continued efforts to seek safer alternatives to 6PPD” and acknowledgment of “USTMA’s open communication about research updates and results. This will continue to be a focus next year. For more information, please see this link: https://www.ustires.org/6ppd-tire-manufacturing.

Back to tire and road wear particles (TRWP)…on December 4-6, TIP will be hosting the Tire Emissions Research Conference in Munich, Germany. This is a first-of-its-kind event designed to strengthen awareness and knowledge regarding TRWP and tire wear emissions in general while being an important opportunity to highlight the industry’s commitment to TRWP mitigation and its vision for future management. Scientists from across the globe will present their findings related to tire emissions and reduction to an international audience encompassing the scientific community, tire industry associations (including TRAC), regulators, and industry. This should prove very interesting, and we look forward to seeing what opportunities and solutions are presented relating to reducing tire-related emissions.

AS: Is there anything you’d like to share related to progress on using natural rubber alternatives for tires?

CH: Tire manufacturers have been working with Russian dandelion and guayule as other plant-based alternatives to natural rubber. There is also a lot of research into bio-based polymers. More and more, we’re seeing tire manufacturers utilizing recycled carbon black for producing new tires and here in Canada, I recently had the opportunity to tour the Kal Tire Retread and Recycling Facility in Oshawa, Ontario. Kal Tire has been working with Tyromer on tire-to-tire recycling which continues to increase in scope, so that’s very encouraging to see. Tire manufacturers are striving for ever more sustainability in the materials they use for producing tires, but they also have to consider quality, safety, and performance, ensuring these factors are not compromised. Tire manufacturers continue to push the envelope in bringing all these factors together and there is never a dull day in this industry, since things are constantly evolving and advancing.

AS: In regard to the recent U.S. federal election this November, do you have any thoughts about potential impacts on the tire industry?

CH: Even though we’ve seen some comments around potential tariffs, including President-elect Trump’s recent pronouncements regarding a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, it’s still too early to tell how things will pan out. Of note, I recently took part in a very interesting webinar hosted by Edelman. This featured Roula Khalaf, Editor of the Financial Times, as well as Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina. During the webinar, the issue of tariffs came up, and some interesting points were made. A key one is that tariffs will likely be used as a tool for negotiation, including in 2026 when the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) expires. There needs to be a total acknowledgment of how closely integrated our economies are, particularly when it comes to sectors like the automotive industry. High tariffs could have major ramifications on both sides of the border, so we’ll have to see how things unfold.

AS: Is there anything else you’d like to mention on the tire recycling front?

CH: Tire recycling technologies continue to evolve. I think that the challenge, certainly from TRAC’s perspective, is how we can help support some of the end markets, specifically Tire Derived Aggregate (TDA) and Rubber Modified Asphalt (RMA). Some of these products have been around for a long time, are readily available, and have been utilized by various jurisdictions for a range of purposes. A good example is the State of California which has a mandate for the percentage of rubber-modified asphalt used in constructing California highways, and this is just one example as TDA has a range of commercial construction use applications. Essentially, it’s how the market makes TDA and RMA the norm rather than the exception. There has been a range of trial and pilot programs around RMA, but adopting it requires a new way of doing things, and sometimes that can be an impediment. At this point TRAC is engaging in early conversations with the Government of Canada about potential funds for pilot projects related to RMA and TDA. And while nothing is cast in stone yet, we look forward to moving forward and will certainly provide updates on our progress. A major question is how do we not only extract and hone the crumb from end-of-life tires but how do we make RMA and TDA more mainstream? We already know that they are highly suitable for public works and government projects at the municipal and provincial levels but how do we convince people that these are good materials in the marketplace and make them more available? Another challenge [and this was something that was raised at our Rubber Recycling Symposium], is how do we, as an industry work together on these types of projects, especially given the other materials embedded into tires, including foam and technology devices like TPMS sensors? Recyclers have expressed a desire to work with manufacturers at the design stage of new tires, as it creates collaboration and new opportunities for recycling and repurposing end-of-life tires.

AS: Are there any new developments or plans at TRAC you would like to or able to share with us at this time?

CH: I’m happy to announce that our bi-annual Rubber Recycling Symposium is scheduled to return in 2025. Our previous event, in Halifax, in 2023, was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, and we had a strong lineup of speakers and topics, as well as a great response from sponsors and exhibitors. We have been in conversations with the Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies (CATRA) and we’ve so far, had strong support for hosting our 2025 symposium which will take place in Banff, Alta. We will provide more details of the event as we get closer, including the actual location and speaker lineup, but mark your calendars and plan to join us in early October 2025 (you can visit https://tracanada.ca for more details). We will also be hosting our 2025 Industry Leadership Awards Program in Toronto in June and stay tuned for more updates on the Tire Industry Project. I’ll also be speaking at the Tire Industry Association Off-the-Road (OTR) Conference on February 19-22 in Puerto Rico. So, already there are a lot of things happening over the next year.

AS: Any final thoughts?

CH: At TRAC we are very fortunate to have a dedicated board of directors. We have committees and volunteers on those committees, which are the lifeblood of the association, alongside our members. We have a staff team that might be small in number, but mighty when it comes to getting things done, and we will continue working hard to help advance the tire and rubber industry in Canada and beyond.