Scientists Call for Deeper Investigation and Standardization of Methodologies for Measuring and Assessing Tire Wear Emissions in First-of-Its-Kind 'State of Knowledge' Papers
The series, titled 'State of Knowledge: Tire wear emissions during the use phase,' is the most comprehensive review of its kind, analyzing more than 850 peer-reviewed scientific publications from the last 40 years. It reveals how the current knowledge base on tire wear emissions is scattered, inconsistent and inconclusive, due to varying approaches and assumptions. The papers summarize the main observations on the topic, as well as highlight the data gaps, emphasizing the need for additional scientific investigation with a common approach across tire industry stakeholders.
Supported by the Tire Industry Project (TIP), the series consists of three distinct papers, each addressing a critical layer of tire wear emission knowledge. The first two published papers focus on the characterization of tire wear emissions and assessment of their environmental impact. The third paper, expected to be published in late 2025, will focus on potential health impacts.
Dr. Stephan Wagner, a guiding force behind the papers, explains, 'The topic of tire wear emissions is extremely complex, multi-dimensional, and unfortunately only partially understood. While notable progress has been made over the years in analyzing such emissions, significant knowledge gaps and inconsistencies prevent a full understanding of their behavior and impact. Until these gaps are closed, there is a growing concern that decisions about tire emissions could be based on incomplete science. Resolving this requires all stakeholders—academia, industry and policymakers—to collaborate and drive for consistency, built on shared research and assessment models such as those proposed in our papers.'
Larisa Kryachkova, Executive Director at the Tire Industry Project remarks, 'Ever since our inception 20 years ago, our mission has been to strengthen scientific foundations to drive industry action. The SOK underscores why we need a concerted, multi-stakeholder response to close the knowledge gaps, now more than ever. It also reinforces our ambition to build a more open, collaborative research ecosystem, through initiatives such as the Open Call for Projects and the upcoming Tire Emissions Research Conference at MIT in Boston.'
The main findings and recommendations of the two papers are as follows:
Paper 1: Tire emissions during the use phase of tires—current and future trends
This paper delves into the characterization and quantification of tire wear emissions and finds:
Paper 2: Risk assessment of tire wear in the environment—a literature review
This paper evaluates whether current knowledge is sufficient for robust environmental risk assessment and finds:
To ensure an unbiased perspective, both papers were elaborated and discussed with external scientists including TIP's Assurance Group members Dr. J. Spengler from Harvard University and Dr. How Yong from Beijing Normal University, as well as with the Advisory Panel expert Dr. T. Mincer from Florida Atlantic University.
'We are pleased with how the SOK project has evolved and the role it can play in ensuring a collective understanding of tire wear emissions, cutting through the misinformation. It has been an intense team effort for the past two years, and we appreciate how TIP supported this project, while maintaining our independence and autonomy. We hope that these papers will encourage the scientific community and serve as a catalyst for further research and standardization,' concludes Wagner.
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Note to Editors:
The State of Knowledge papers and supporting materials are available at Tire Industry Project - Tire and Road Wear Particles - Our research
The State of Knowledge papers are written by Kathrin Müller, Julie Panko, Kenny Unice, Dr. Benoit Ferrari, Dr. Florian Breider, and Dr. Stephan Wagner.
More information about TIP's Open Call for Projects can be found here https://tireindustryproject.org/open-call-for-projects-2024/
More information on TIP's Research Conference at MIT in Boston, USA, September 3–4, 2025 can be found here https://tireindustryproject.org/2025-tire-emissions-research-conference/
About TIP
Formed in 2005, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) is a voluntary CEO-driven initiative with a mission to anticipate, understand, and address global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues relevant to the tire industry and its value chain.
TIP acts by commissioning independent research of the highest standards, collaborating on sectoral solutions, and engaging with external stakeholders.
TIP is part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), bringing together 10 leading tire companies that represent more than 60% of the world's tire manufacturing capacity.
In 2025, TIP marks its 20th anniversary—a milestone that reflects its long-term commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and fostering collective industry action to improve sustainability across the tire value chain.
For more information, visit The Tire Industry Project.
Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Tire Industry Project
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