ETRMA urges EU to back bio-based rubber in new Bioeconomy Strategy

The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) has called on the European Commission to recognise tyres as a strategic user of bio-based and secondary raw materials in the ongoing update of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. In a submission dated 18 June 2025, the trade body sets out where the industry already relies on plant-derived inputs and what policy levers it believes could accelerate uptake of sustainable feedstocks.‍

Tyre sector’s bio-based building blocks

Natural rubber still makes up a large share of every passenger, truck and off-road tyre, yet most of it is imported from Southeast Asia. Tyre makers are therefore trialling European-grown alternatives such as guayule and Russian dandelion to cut supply risk. Vegetable oils (soy, rapeseed, sunflower) already replace mineral oils in certain tread and sidewall recipes, while lignin and rice-husk bio-silica are moving from pilot to commercial use as partial substitutes for carbon black. ETRMA also notes progress on bio-based versions of key synthetic rubbers such as butadiene and isoprene.

Three policy actions ETRMA wants

▢ European Rubber Strategy – A formal EU initiative to diversify natural rubber sources, promote bilateral supply agreements and expand research into alternative crops.

▢ EU-wide end-of-waste criteria – Clear rules so that rubber granulate, recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oils from end-of-life tyres can re-enter the market as certified secondary raw materials.

▢ Stable biomass supply – Funding and data tools to ensure that bio-based inputs meet sustainability standards and that tyre makers can report the share of renewable content under the forthcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

Why it matters for EU competitiveness

The Commission is running a public consultation on the revised Bioeconomy Strategy until 23 June 2025. A supportive framework could help European tyre plants secure greener inputs, reduce carbon leakage from the planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and strengthen rural economies growing new rubber crops.

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Tyre makers increasingly blend bio-based, recycled and smart materials to meet fleet electrification, durability and CO₂ goals. Clear EU rules on end-of-waste status and stronger research funding would give the sector confidence to scale pilot plants for guayule latex, lignin-filled compounds and advanced pyrolysis. Aligning these measures inside the Bioeconomy Strategy could speed the shift from fossil-based to renewable tyres across passenger, commercial and off-road segments.

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Tagged with: ETRMA, bio-based tyres, EU Bioeconomy Strategy, natural rubber, circular raw materials, guayule, dandelion rubber, end-of-waste, rubber value chain

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