The government has welcomed the tyre industry’s approach to the implementation of the new tyre labelling regulations, which come into force on 1 May 2021 across Europe. The ingenious solution will allow the continued flow of labelling information to consumers despite initial regulatory differences between Great Britain and N Ireland.
The new label brings revised definitions for some of the performance classes. An orderly market requires common conventions for communication between operators at every level, from manufacturer to retailer, regardless of geographic location. A ‘common currency’ is needed not only between industry actors but also with the consumer.
The challenge has been to find a solution to the practical implications of transitioning from the current labelling to the new criteria across the whole of the UK. Following Brexit, The Northern Ireland Protocol requires the Province adopts the regulation in line with the EU while the GB legal framework for adoption is still a work in progress.
The British Tyre Manufacturers Association, International Tyre Manufacturers Association and National Tyre Distributors Association, under the Tyre Industry Federation umbrella, joined with the industry’s principal software solution providers to identify a solution.
The outcome will make the new ‘currency’ digitally available across the whole of the UK from 1st May. This solution takes information from the new EU product database and complements it with an automatic transformation of data already held for the current labelling regulation. The result assures the availability of consistent consumer information for all tyres offered for sale. There will be no need to re-label existing stocks since the customer rarely sees the tyre before it is fitted.
As a result, all tyre retailers across the UK, whether in Northern Ireland or GB, will be able to provide their customers with consistent information from 1st May 2021.
Karl Naylor, Chair of BTMA, said: “Implementing the new labelling regulations proved to be a real challenge but I commend the industry for its efforts in finding a solution. It’s pleasing to note The Department of Transport has formally welcomed the Industry’s commitment to maintaining consistent consumer information during the interim period. Retailers can now be assured they have access to resources which allow them to inform customers of the new tyre labelling details of each and every tyre as of 1st May.”
Alfred Graham, ITMA President, said: “This is a great example of the value of cross-industry co-operation. I am delighted to see how the stakeholders have pulled together to deliver an elegant solution to this problem.”
