Voluntary tire labelling in South Korea took effect on November 14, 2011. The "Ministry of Knowledge Economy" implemented voluntary labelling after it started the formal process on June 15, 2011. As the next step, the government plans to make this regulation mandatory from December 2012. The government sees tire labelling as a major part of the overall plan to a “Greener Society”. It expects nation-wide energy savings of 350,000 TOEs/year* and greenhouse gas emission reduction by around 1 Million tons of CO² emissions per year.

The label is placed on tires and shows in a grading of five levels, the fuel efficiency and the wet grip characteristics. It will first be applied to passenger car tires and light truck tires, and later to truck and bus tires.

After a voluntary tire label has been introduced in Japan in 2010, South Korea is the second country with such a label. From November 2012, a mandatory tire label will also be introduced in the European Union and other countries like Brazil or China are expected to follow suit.

The tire label will lead to an increased demand of “Green Tires” that are more fuel efficient, safer and more durable than ordinary tires. “The label comes in the right time for the LANXESS Rubber Day in Korea on November 23, 2011, where we can now demonstrate our technological leadership and increase the awareness that LANXESS is the enabler of Green Tires”, the Country Representative of LANXESS South Korea, Ko JeWoong, comments.

*TOE = Tons of Oil Equivalent. With a fuel usage of 9 l when driving 100 km you can drive some 6500 km with a TOE.