China's Green Tire Labeling: Benefits
China encourages and promotes the development of green tires by enterprises, and the resulting green labeling has come into the public eye. What are green tires? What is a green label? A green label is used to prove to consumers that the entire process of a product, from research and development to production, transportation, sales, use, and recycling, complies with environmental protection standards and causes no harm to the ecological environment or human health.
Green tires are not just an empty concept; they can bring tangible low-carbon, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly benefits to the country, and provide consumers with safer performance.
Compared to traditional tires, green tires, with their advantages of better elasticity, lower rolling resistance, and lower fuel consumption, can effectively reduce vehicle fuel consumption by 3%-8%, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, shorten braking distance on wet roads, improve driving safety, and reduce the "black pollution" from waste tires, balancing ecological benefits and user experience.
Is the green tire standard mandatory? Currently, there are no mandatory regulations for tire labeling in China; participation by enterprises is entirely voluntary. However, in the future, relevant departments will definitely strengthen the management of labels to prevent the labeling market from remaining chaotic.
According to a response released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at the end of 2024, my country has established a tire labeling application and management platform. As of the end of 2023, 73 tire companies had completed registration, and 146 tire labels covering 855 specifications were in use, indicating a gradual acceleration in industry standardization.
The significance of labels is self-evident. They represent product performance and, more importantly, demonstrate that the product has passed relevant certifications and tests, reducing the chances of consumers purchasing counterfeit products.
For consumers, tire labels are like "product instructions," providing a clear understanding of the tire's core performance and preventing blind tire selection. For companies, labels reflect product competitiveness; those actively participating in labeling certification are more likely to gain market recognition.
What are the contents of tire label testing? The technical specifications for Chinese tire labels are consistent with those of EU tire labels, including tests for tire noise, anti-skid performance, and rolling resistance. However, the numerical standards in Chinese tire labeling regulations are more stringent.
Specifically, rolling resistance directly affects vehicle energy consumption, and my country's labeling standards have stricter requirements for its values than those of the EU, helping the automotive industry achieve its "carbon reduction" goals.
Wet grip performance is divided into different levels; the higher the level indicated on the label, the stronger the tire's grip on rainy or icy roads, effectively reducing the incidence of traffic accidents. Noise levels correspond to different decibel standards, and clear labeling helps consumers choose products with better noise reduction, aligning with the high requirements for quietness in current new energy vehicles.
In the current situation, breaking through international trade green barriers and seizing the commanding heights of global tire industry technology and economy is a long-term development strategy for my country's tire industry. Since 2026, the EU, the US, Russia, and other countries and regions have successively introduced new trade and environmental policies.
The EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism has officially entered the mandatory collection phase, setting excessively high carbon emission intensity values for Chinese tires. Russia has also increased environmental taxes on tires exceeding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) limits. These green barriers severely restrict my country's tire exports.
Data shows that in 2025, my country's rubber tire exports reached 9.65 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.6%, but the export value only increased slightly by 2%, with weak growth in unit price. One of the core reasons is that some domestically produced tires lack unified and standardized green label certification, making it difficult to align with international standards.
To address this, it is essential to accelerate the adjustment of the tire industry and product structure. The urgent task is to introduce relevant regulations as soon as possible to unify tire label categories, ensuring that domestically produced tires are fully labeled with energy-saving and environmentally friendly tags.
Currently, some leading enterprises have taken the lead, such as Guizhou Tire, a national green factory, which has launched a series of green products with green materials accounting for 45.88% of its products, and has enhanced its competitiveness in the high-end market through label certification.
Industry experts say that unifying tire label standards can not only regulate market order and eliminate problems such as false and chaotic labeling, but also guide enterprises to increase investment in green technology research and development, promoting the tire industry's transformation towards low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and high-end products.
At the same time, relevant departments need to strengthen policy dissemination and supervision, improve the supporting standard system, and promote the transition of tire labeling from "voluntary participation" to "standardized guidance" to help my country's tire industry break through green barriers, occupy a more favorable position in the global market, and achieve a win-win situation for ecological, economic and social benefits.
