Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of requiring changes to tyre manufacturing processes on the levels of toxic particles in the environment.

The Department for Transport commissioned a three-year research project in February 2021, which aims to understand better the measurement techniques, material properties and control parameters of tyre wear emissions. The project will also assess how the composition of tyres affects the emission of pollutants from tyre wear, with the aim of informing any policy or legislation that may be required to reduce these emissions.

Industrial emissions from tyre manufacturing are controlled through the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016 and are categorised as either “Part A2” or “Part B” installations. Local Authorities regulate these sites in accordance with the regulations and current guidance in England. This regulatory framework requires industrial facilities to have an environmental permit and they cannot exceed limits on allowable emissions. These regulatory standards may be updated in future to help further reduce emissions from industry.