Tyre EPR in India: Compliance Obligations for Producers, Importers and Recyclers

Waste tyres are a large and stubborn waste stream. They do not decompose, they are bulky and difficult to store, and when handled badly they are often burned or dumped, causing serious pollution. To bring this stream under control, India has placed waste tyres under an Extended Producer Responsibility framework administered by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), making the entities that introduce tyres into the market responsible for ensuring they are collected and processed at end of life.

This regime is frequently overlooked because it reaches well beyond dedicated tyre companies. Vehicle importers and manufacturers can be caught by it too, since every vehicle that enters the market arrives fitted with tyres. This guide explains who is obligated, how registration works, how targets are fulfilled through registered recyclers, and the records that make ongoing compliance straightforward.

Who is obligated under tyre EPR

The framework places responsibility on the entities that introduce tyres into the Indian market. This includes more parties than many businesses expect:

• Manufacturers of new tyres sold in India.
• Importers of new tyres, whether for replacement sale or supply to manufacturers.
• Importers of vehicles that arrive fitted with tyres, since those tyres enter the market too.

Recyclers and retreaders participate in the system in their own capacity, generating the evidence of processing that obligated producers rely on. Because importing vehicles brings their tyres into scope, automotive importers in particular should check this regime alongside their other obligations — a vehicle importer can simultaneously face tyre, battery and plastic packaging obligations on the same imported units.

How registration works

Obligated producers and importers register on the CPCB EPR portal for waste tyres. Registration records who you are, your role, and the quantity of tyres you place on the market, which forms the basis of your obligation. Recyclers register separately so that the processing they carry out can be tracked and certified. The broad steps mirror the other EPR regimes:

• Create an account and declare your role as producer or importer.
• Provide company, PAN and GST details along with the required documentation.
• Provide Import-Export Code where you import tyres or vehicles.
• Declare the quantity of tyres introduced into the market, including those fitted to imported vehicles.
• Obtain your EPR registration on approval.

Confirm the current document checklist and any fees on the official portal before filing, since these details are refined over time.

Meeting the obligation

As with other EPR streams, the obligation is to ensure that a corresponding quantity of waste tyres is collected and processed through registered recyclers, evidenced through EPR certificates on the portal. Registered recyclers generate certificates for verified processed quantities, and obligated entities procure them to discharge their targets. The obligation remains yours, so verify the registration and standing of any recycler or retreader whose certificates you rely on.

Waste tyres can be processed in several ways, including recovery of materials such as crumb rubber and steel, and conversion into usable products. The framework is designed to channel end-of-life tyres toward these authorised, traceable routes rather than allowing uncontrolled disposal, dumping or open burning.

Records that make compliance easier

The volume of tyres you place on the market is the number everything else depends on, so capture it cleanly and continuously rather than reconstructing it at year end:

• Track tyres introduced into the market, including those fitted to imported vehicles, tied to sales and import records.
• Keep purchase and processing documentation for any certificates you procure.
• Verify that recyclers and retreaders you deal with are registered on the portal.
• Maintain a running reconciliation of obligation against certificates procured through the year.

How Social Lab helps

Social Lab helps tyre manufacturers, tyre importers and — importantly — vehicle importers who may not realise tyre EPR applies to them, to identify their obligation, register on the CPCB tyre portal, and quantify the tyres they place on the market including those fitted to imported vehicles. We source valid certificates from registered recyclers and retreaders, verify counterparty standing, and fold tyre EPR into the same compliance calendar as your other registrations so that one data system feeds every return. For automotive importers with layered tyre, battery and packaging obligations, this consolidated approach prevents any single obligation from slipping through unregistered.

Frequently asked questions