There is growing concern about climate change, global warming and melting polar ice caps. With countries trying to reduce their carbon footprints, companies are taking up greener initiatives to do their bit. The tyre industry too is undergoing a vital change in this respect. Come November 2012, Europe will make ‘tyre labeling’ mandatory and India will have to follow the suit. It is very important for India to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and that is where the tyre industry kicks in to contribute its part.

For the benefit of our readers, here is a brief on ‘tyre labeling’.

Tyre Label is a mark for motor vehicle tyres. The tyre manufacturers will have to specify details like fuel consumption, wet grip and noise classification. This helps in making the performance visible. For passenger and light truck tyres, the manufacturers or importers have the choice of either putting a sticker on the tyre tread or a label accompanying each delivery of batch of tyres to the dealer and to the end consumer. The tyre label will use a classification from the best (green category “A”) to the worst performance (red category “G”).

Not many are aware that 20-30% fuel consumption is due to tyres. Technically, it is the tyre’s rolling resistance which in layman’s terms means that the tyre gets heated up during the use. Thus, using innovative technology and high performance material can help the customers from spending a lot on fuel especially when the fuel prices are reaching sky limits.

Lanxess, one of the world’s leading suppliers of specialty chemicals, is supporting the cause of green tyres. These tyres have enormous potential in reducing the fuel consumption. Thus, an initiative like this will not only help save customer’s money on fuel but also save planet Earth to some extent from climate change. Go green.. Go green tyres.