Movin'On speakers debate frequent tire replacement

MONTREAL — Planned obsolescence, as it applies to tires, was the subject of a lively master class at Movin'On, Michelin's sustainable mobility conference in Montreal, June 13-15.

At issue in the debate was the practice in Europe, encouraged by some stakeholders, to remove tires at a tread depth of 3 mm (0.11 inch) instead of the European Union statutory depth of 1.6 millimeters (0.062 inch).

According to a study by EY (Ernst & Young) France that was distributed at Movin'On, removal at a 3-mm tread depth is detrimental to sustainable mobility and a circular economy.

"Within the European Union, half of the tires are replaced at 3 mm," the EY study said. Yet accident data does not conclusively support a regulatory change to 3 mm from 1.6 mm, it said.

"This practice could even prove to be counterproductive in terms of accidentology," the study said.

"The prospect of a more frequent tire removal is likely to encourage motorists who have opted for high-quality, long-term performance tires to choose lower-priced tires of lower quality," it said.

"Yet tires of lesser quality at 3 mm might have a longer braking distance than high-quality tires at 1.6 mm."

The general practice of removing tires at 3 mm could impose annual global costs of 636 million euros (about $720 million), the study said. These would include $327 million for overconsumption of raw materials, $202 million for additional greenhouse gas emissions, $186 million for additional waste generation and $4.5 million for energy overconsumption, it said.

"Fighting against the planned obsolescence of tires is part of the ongoing transition of the mobility sector toward a circular and 'product as a service' economy," the study said.

To fight planned obsolescence, the tire industry should stop testing tires for wet traction at the beginning of their lives and test them instead at 1.6 mm, to guarantee their performance over time, the study said.

Planned obsolescence of tires creates unconscionable waste, said Brice Lalonde, president of the Business & Climate Summit and former minister of the environment for France.

"Fifty percent of materials don't even make it to market, but go into a landfill," Mr. Lalonde said. "A circular economy can help preserve natural resources. But we have to do a life-cycle analysis to make sure there is the least impact possible."

Going forward, motorists and the general public have to resist the temptation of overconsumption, according to Mr. Lalonde.

"Airplanes are designed to last 30 years at least," he said. "We shouldn't build things to be replaced five years down the road. Instead of selling an airplane tire, we sell a certain number of landings. That's a maintenance economy."

But a sustainable economy also has to have room for economic growth, according to Jean-Dominique Senard. Michelin Group president and CEO.

"I don't necessarily disagree (with Mr. Lalonde), but a circular economy doesn't mean a shrinking economy," he said. "A circular economy can equal growth and the reuse of objects in a reasonable way."

Michelin achieves up to a 50-percent reduction of raw material use when it uses an old tire to make a new one, meaning a retread, Mr. Senard said. Yet he supported the EY study's assertion that sales of cheap new tires were hurting that effort.

"Michelin was forced to close some of its retread tire shops because of cheap tires from Asia," he said. "That goes completely against planet Earth."

John Baldwin, assistant vice president of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Discount Tire Co., pointed out that tires are designed to wear out.

"If performance didn't change over time, people would not replace their tires," Mr. Baldwin said.

Discount Tire does anything it can to ensure its customers' tires last as long as possible, according to Mr. Baldwin. This includes free rotation, free flat repairs, free air checks and free inspections to anyone who visits a Discount Tire store, he said.

"It's important that consumers participate in the life-cycle maintenance of their tires," Mr. Baldwin said.