Stay In The Green Zone With Retread Tires
How green is the buying public? Global consumer research across 8 different major world economies report that 87% of consumers want to be green consumers. The reality, however, is that only about one-third of consumers consistently make green buying decisions. There are two main reasons that are holding back the growth of green consumerism: cost and convenience. For automobile owners, there is no reason they can’t drive greener when it comes to replacing an old set of tires. Retreads are the greenest option. They are also affordable and easily available.
Content: What’s in your tires? If you are driving around on retreads, your tires are, perhaps, the most environmentally friendly aspect of your motor vehicle. Retreads contain the highest post-consumer content of recycled material of any recycled or re-purposed automobile component.
Space: A tire for even an economy car is quite large. Truck tires are enormous. Think of all that landfill space being saved by opting for a retread. And all those old tires in a confined space are a recipe for disaster. Consider the tale of a Virginia landfill where seven million tires caught fire. This disaster created a 50-mile-long plume of toxic smoke that affected a tri-state area. A graveyard for old tires is not just a fire hazard. It is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents.
Virginia’s eco-disaster ended, however, as a success story. What started out as one of America’s most toxic sites has been cleaned up. It now enjoys status as one of the nation’s Superfund sites, an area where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) turned things around.
Versatility: Virginia’s tire graveyard transformation is symbolic of what has taken place across the entire nation. Now, more than 80% of old tires are being re-purposed. And re-purposing tires does much more than offer drivers green options with retreads. More than one-quarter of recycled tires become local playground paths, garden mulch, sports surfaces, automobile floor mats and rubber-enhanced asphalt used in roadways. Lends a whole new meaning to the old saying “where the rubber meets the road”.
Ethical Consumerism: Saving money has been the primary driver behind consumer choice for retreads. With green living preferences on the rise, consumers are now more inspired by ethical reasons. As ethical consumers, many look well-beyond the environmental impact of their purchasing power. Many consumers are also keenly aware of the petroleum factor. For consumers who are sensitive to the influence petroleum has in global conflict and controversy, the discovery that retreads use significantly less petroleum than a new tire makes retreads the ethical choice. Retreads use about one-third less petroleum to manufacture than new tires.
Buy Local: Part of the green living lifestyle is buying local whenever possible. With retreads, it doesn’t get any more local than purchasing a product made by your fellow Americans. Retreads are considered to be a 100% American made product. Some products that tout being American made are assembled in the country from imported parts. Not so with retreads. Castoff tires are secured locally from US tire graveyards. The casings are then prepared to be expertly recapped by technicians in the local community. Final inspection by a qualified inspector then certifies a retread to be sold at a local American retread dealer. For green consumers committed to buying local, retreads should be on your shopping list.
Safety: The final item on a green consumer’s checklist is whether or not their environmentally-friendly product option measures up against the competition with regard to safety. Once again, retreads prove to be as safe as they are ethical. The Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that defective rates for retreads are the same as for new tires.
To learn more about the green qualities of retreads, or to get a quote on a set of retreads for your car, please contact us.
