The number of motor vehicles in Germany is rising inexorably. In 2023, the 60 million mark was exceeded for the first time. There are around 49 million cars, 3.6 million lorries and 5 million motorbikes on German roads. As the number of motor vehicles increases, so does the number of tyres used.

Around 525,000 tonnes of used tyres are generated nationwide every year (as of 2022). In Europe, the figure is around 3.5 million tonnes, which corresponds to around 295 million used tyres. Converted, 560 used tyres are added every minute. If these tyres were stacked on top of each other, it would take nine minutes to reach the summit of Europe's highest mountain (Mont Blanc/4,805 metres).

The sustainable circular tyre economy supported by NEW LIFE aims to keep 100 percent of used tyres in the material cycle through repair, retreading and environmentally friendly recycling. In this way, millions of tonnes of waste and CO2 emissions can be avoided every year across Europe, energy can be saved and natural resources conserved.

In order to secure the future of a sustainable circular tyre economy in Germany and Europe, the Alliance for the Future of Tyres (AZuR) - of which the NEW LIFE initiative is a partner - has prepared a resolution to the EU: "Tyres are an irreplaceable product for our mobility and a valuable raw material that must be kept in the material cycle. All tyres used in the EU must be reused or recycled in the EU. New tyres must be produced as sustainably as possible - used tyres must be kept in the material cycle as far as possible through retreading, material or chemical recycling. The basis of our economic trade must always be the pyramid of recyclable materials."

The resolution will be officially signed on 4 June 2024 at THE TIRE COLOGNE. The more associations/companies with a focus on sustainability and environmental protection support the resolution, the more impressive the message to the political decision-makers in Brussels. We would therefore like to thank you for your personal support of the Waste Tyre Resolution and invite you to take part in the official signing ceremony in Cologne: https://azur-netzwerk.de/kraefte-buendeln-eine-altreifen-resolution-fuer-die-eu/