The EU has issued new regulations! Proposed to list white carbon black as a hazardous substance, or it may be forcibly replaced!
Recently, the European Union plans to classify synthetic amorphous silica (SAS, white carbon black) as a hazardous substance, and the European tire industry has issued a warning that this new regulation may have far-reaching negative impacts on the entire industry.
Tyres Europe, the European Tire Industry Association, released a position paper on July 2nd stating that white carbon black is the core key material for achieving the "performance iron triangle" of the tire industry - low rolling resistance, wet grip, and high wear and durability, while helping the EU achieve its climate reduction and green travel strategy goals.
At present, the EU is promoting a unified classification revision, intending to classify synthetic amorphous silica as specific target organ toxicity (repeated exposure class 1), targeting the human respiratory tract.
The industry association pointed out that once this classification is implemented, white carbon black will be automatically included in the list of substances of concern under the EU's Sustainable Product Eco Design Regulation (ESPR), triggering mandatory product information disclosure requirements and even directly affecting the formulation design and research and development direction of tire products.
The association emphasizes that this classification is not a ban on the use of white carbon black, but it will force the industry to actively eliminate the material in product design, rather than just controlling production exposure risks. The core risk of the new regulations does not lie in the safety hazards during the actual use of the product, but in the fact that the hazard classification label will change the product design compliance standards and industry policy screening rules.
This will lead to the industry being forced to replace core functional materials without fully equivalent substitute materials in terms of performance, safety, and low-carbon effects, and bear unreasonable compliance pressure.
The European tire industry consumes one-third of the total production of synthetic amorphous silica in the EU region; Among them, the tire industry accounts for more than half of the market demand for precipitated white carbon black (mainstream SAS tire category).
The European Tire Association defines white carbon black as a functional material essential for tires, which has a long history of safe application and exists in the rubber matrix after vulcanization. It will not dissociate and precipitate throughout the entire life cycle of the tire.
The association cites epidemiological research to support that the overall toxicity of white carbon black is extremely low; And the products in circulation on the market are all in the form of low dust microbeads and particles, which can minimize the risk of human exposure during production operations.
In terms of product performance, white carbon black modified rubber can simultaneously optimize tire rolling resistance, wet grip, and wear resistance. According to actual testing data from mainstream tire companies, adding white carbon black to tires can reduce vehicle carbon emissions by up to 8%, while extending tire service life, reducing tire wear particle emissions, and adapting to strict environmental regulations such as Euro 7.
The association ultimately calls for all regulatory measures against white carbon black in the European Union to be implemented based on the true performance of the material, long-term industrial application exposure scenarios, and a comprehensive assessment of the socio-economic impact of the entire downstream industry chain.
Industry warning: One sided and hasty regulatory revisions will undermine the stability of the European tire industry chain and trigger unpredictable negative chain reactions in the industry.