In the past three years, under the support and participation of many enterprises, “China Green Tire Safety Week” has made some achievements in popularizing basic knowledge of tires as well as common sense of safe utilization and vigorously propagandizing green tires, gaining affirmation from relevant departments and committees of the state.

“China Rubber Industry Association has done steady and meticulous work related to green tire label system, making the consumers understand the performance of tires and being of great significance for the development of green tires.” Pan Aihua, the deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Raw Material Division, said in the keynote speech of the public activities of “China Green Tire Safety Week” held by China Rubber Industry Association from June 14 to June 16.

It is known by the reporter that this year is the third year of the safety week, and the conference focused on explaining and summing up the Chinese tire label system, showing the green tire achievements with labels, and making the next arrangement of the label system, which attracted wide concern of the insiders.

Tire Label Recognition Increasing Day by Day

Zhu Hong, the director of CRIA Technical & Economic Committee, summed up the working condition since the implementation of the Chinese tire label system. As introduced by her, CRIA undertook the tire label system research topic of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2014. After nearly 3 years of efforts, the associational standards of Tire Grading Standard and Management Rules for Tire Labeling were formally issued on June 15, 2016, which were formally implemented on September 15. On the same day, the Chinese tire label application and management data platform was formally online, and enterprises can log in www.cria. org.cn and apply for registration on this platform.

“At first, people took a wait-and-see attitude. However, under the leadership of five big enterprises who applied for labels in the first batch, including Doublestar, Double Coin, Fengyuan, Guizhou and Linglong, through the vigorous publicity of the green tire safety week, official website of CRIA and the various media in the past two consecutive years as well as the rising of the auto culture, consumers gradually know how to use tires safely, and tire enterprises pay more attention with increasing participation and recognition day by day, so they take part in applying for labels after constant communications.” Zhu Hong said: “Regardless of the national brand enterprises in China, overseas enterprises also pay high attention, because their products are sold in China and China has already been the main market of them. Sumitomo and Pirelli have applied for and got their labels, Continental is under application, and some other enterprises always keep close communications with CRIA.”

It is known that by June 15, there had been 39 enterprises which applied for enterprise information registration on this platform, and CRIA had issued 63 tire labels to 15 enterprises completing the whole process of tire label application and collection. The applied label categories include C1 and C3 products. In addition, there are 40 labels waiting for review according to the procedures.

“The Chinese tire labels take the principle that the enterprises make a self-declaration and post the labels voluntarily. The enterprises should submit a tire test report to this platform in good faith. CRIA is responsible for the subsequent supervision in accordance with the international conventions based on the market sampling requirements, sampling range, test methods, etc.” Zhu Hong told the reporter that Japan also adopted the voluntary declaration and voluntary posting system. In China, enterprises may not post a label. However, with the improvement of the consumers’ cognition, they may take a sceptical attitude at those not posting a label.

“Because of voluntary posting, the binding force is not so strong. CRIA and the enterprises are willing to lay a foundation firstly and make those powerful enterprises with out-and-out labels be recognized by the consumers so that they can consume clearly and reliably, thus leading the transformation and upgrading of the tire industry.” Xu Wenying, the secretary-general of CRIA, said. 

Summary of Enterprises Completing the Complete Tire Label Process 

Five-year “Route Diagram” of Tire Labels

Under the background of the accelerated structural adjustment of the industry, the increasing trade pressure at home and abroad, the green transformation and upgrading as well as the intelligent manufacturing, what is the next step of tire label?

Chinese Tire Label Technical Committee of China Rubber Industry Association organized experts to have discussions and finally decided the implement route diagram and implementation schedule of green tires.

The expert group unanimously agreed that it was necessary to make a technical prospective planning and lead the technical progress of the tire industry, improve the technical standard and include it into a certification system by legislative procedures and realize the sustainable development of the Chinese tire industry.

The conference made an overall and scientific summary of the implementation route diagram of green tires, that is green tires must make low rolling resistance and wet braking performance as the basic performance, center on VOCs emission reduction and green production, and carry out green product design led by green raw materials, prohibited substances and C3 tire retreading ability; green tires must popularize FRID-centered intel- 

ligent tire concept based on the traceability of the single tire to promote the real implementation of the tire recall; green tires must strengthen carbon emission research, assess the average carbon emission index of the enterprises according to the product category; and green tires must realize the recycling and utilization of waste tires.

The conference listed the implementation schedule of each key work point according to the confirmed “route diagram”.

In 2018, CRIA will jointly complete the release of the Evaluation Standard of Green Products (Part I: Tires) with China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association;

From 2019 to 2020, we will promote the establishment of laws and regulations as well as the certification system; include rolling resistance and wet grip performance into the CCC Certification System, carry out VOCs test and voluntary certification, complete the tire label system and strengthen supervision and examination;

From 2018 to 2020, we will carry out the study of the Tire Recall System based on RFID traceability;

From 2019 to 2022, we will gradually popularize the utilization of the traceability mark FRID and establish the identification equipment and database of the retail, logistics and wholesale system all over the country simultaneously;

From 2022 to 2023, we will realize the traceability and recall of tires.

According to the requirements of the conference, we should complete the tasks at every time point on schedule according to the established route diagram and schedule, really eliminate the backward production capacity of tires and improve the industrial concentration by virtue of the label system so as to promote the sound market competition, product structure adjustment, transformation and upgrading of the enterprise and realize the industrialization of green tires. 

(by Hao Zhangcheng)