Treadwright Tires LLC’s Anthony Showen will address tire recycling issues in a free webinar presented by the nonprofit Product Stewardship Institute on June 12, 2018, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., EDT.
Other environmental and industry experts will join Showen, who is Treadwright’s chief executive officer and partner, in the “Exploring TreadWright and Tire Sustainability” webinar.
The Product Stewardship Institute says the U.S. generates approximately 242 million scrap tires each year. An additional 67 million tires lie in stockpiles or illegal dumps, causing environmental threats and public health hazards like mosquito-borne illness and fire risk.
Although there are tire recycling opportunities across North America, more than half the tires diverted from disposal are burned as tire-derived fuel (TDF). Although TDF produces energy, the process is more resource intensive than reuse or recycling scrap tires into new tires and other products, and is a missed opportunity to create additional recycling jobs.
The Product Stewardship Institute says TreadWright Tires has developed a superior remolded tire that uses 70% recycled material, costs 40% less than new tires, and is approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. These remolded tires support Executive Order 13693, which requires implementation of “opportunities to improve agency fleet sustainability” and outlines measures to make the federal government's operations more sustainable, including that “to improve environmental performance and Federal sustainability, priority should first be placed on reducing energy use and cost.”
The free “Exploring TreadWright and Tire Sustainability” webinar will explore the technological innovation developed by TreadWright to achieve goals of sustainability, performance, and cost, as well as discuss how to support market development for higher end uses of scrap tires through procurement and other policies.
Webinar presenters will also examine TreadWright’s role in advancing tire recycling in the U.S. Speakers will include a tire trade association representative, who will discuss broad sustainability goals of tire repair, reuse/retread, and recycling, as well as a long-time TreadWright tire user, who will discuss user perspectives.
Representing the retread industry will be David Stevens, managing director, Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). Other presenters are:
- Suna Bayrakal, PhD, senior associate for policy and programs, Product Stewardship Institute;
- Tom Metzner, environmental analyst, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and
- John Knapton, mountain operations manager, Big Sky Resort.
The webinar will be moderated by Scott Cassel, CEO and founder of the Product Stewardship Institute.
Treadwright Tires is the webinar sponsor.
Houston-based Treadwright manufactures eco-friendly remold tires for light trucks and SUVs. The company’s manufacturing process involves taking recycled premium casings and applying industrial grade rubber compound and curing the tires in the same process used to manufacturer brand new tires. This process results in rugged and reliable tires that get 20% more mileage compared other tires in its class, according to Treadwright. For more information, visit www.treadwright.com.
The Product Stewardship Institute is a national, membership-based nonprofit committed to reducing the health, safety, and environmental impacts of consumer products across their lifecycle with a strong focus on sustainable end-of-life management. To register for the webinar and for more information on the Product Stewardship Institute, visit the organization’s website.
