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Activities

BTMA ACTIVITES

  • To improve understanding amongst customers and suppliers, amongst users and the general public
  • To provide protection against misinformation
  • To achieve an appropriate, and globally competitive, legislative and regulatory environment for the industry
  • To influence EU & International Forums
  • To help members compete more effectively at home and abroad
  • To improve training of industry's technical staff
  • To provide valuable information about the tyre industry 
  • To facilitate research and development
  • To improve health, safety and environment management
  • To promote good energy management practices 
  • To provide discussion forum

Promoting and understanding


Improving understanding amongst customers and suppliers

BTMA promotes its members' interests to customers and suppliers.

  • BTMA answers about 1000 telephone and other enquiries per year from suppliers and potential customers of the tyre industry.
  • BTMA develops new links with customers
  • BTMA develops new areas of advice and assistance to tyre retailers through the Tyre Service Committee
  • BTMA develops new marketing initiatives according to members' wishes.
  • Improving understanding amongst users and the general public.
  • BTMA updates & supplies copies of "World of Rubber" (providing information on the rubber industry) to public as appropriate
  • BTMA contributes to "Polymer Study Tours" for school teachers (along with other organisations active in the polymer sector).

Providing Protection


BTMA monitors the media

BTMA provides awareness reports, for example on:

  • Used tyres
  • Tyres in use (e.g. effects of tread depth on stopping distances)
  • Emissions and waste from rubber and polyurethane processing

BTMA counters misinformation

  • BTMA reviews and develops PR strategy
  • Issues press releases
  • Provides proactive briefings to national and trade press
  • Maintains links with environmental press

BTMA seeks opportunities to promote its members' interests

  • BTMA presents papers at regional and other meetings of Institute of Materials
  • Participates in seminars/conference on waste management issuesRegularly liaises with key movers and stakeholders (especially within Government).

  • Influencing Legislators


Working to achieve an appropriate, and globally competitive, legislative and regulatory environment for the industry. BTMA influences UK regulators and promotes members' interests with UK legislators

BTMA influences key Government Departments to secure:

  • Changes to legislation
  • Improvements in Regulations
  • Satisfactory implementation of legislation in the UK
  • Fair and proportionate applications and enforcement of legislation in the UK
  • A level playing field for the rubber and polyurethane industry
BTMA monitors application of EU Directives into UK law
  • BTMA intervenes with authorities in members' interests
  • Contributes to relevant work on development of new standards 
  • Prepares industry responses to new legislative consultative papers
  • Briefs DTI on industry position
  • Influences CEN Standards
  • Responds to HSC / Environment Agency proposals on health and safety and evironmental matters.
BTMA seek to amend or discourage EU legislation where it is against the industry's interests
  • Through ETRMA, or ETRTO, BRMA monitors new proposals and lobbies Commission/European Parliament as appropriate.
  • Participates in ETRMA groups on Used Tyres, Health and Safety and Environment.
  • BTMA has Chairmanship / membership of BLIC working groups for :

    • Retreading
    • Toluene
    • Carbon black
    • Crystalline silica
    • VOCs
    • Zinc oxide
    • Butadiene
Improving Competitiveness

Helping members compete more effectively at home and abroad

  • BTMA plays a determining role in projects to improve competitiveness of the rubber industry

Improving training of industry's technical staff


BTMA works towards ensuring that an adequate supply of staff with the right skills is available to industry

  • BTMA actively promotes and facilitates the discussion of industry's training and education needs.
  • BRMA has significant involvement in and commitment to the relevant Sector Skills Councils - SEMPTA
  • In shaping training provision for the rubber industry

Promoting members' export potential


BTMA assists members in competing more effectively abroad

  • BTMA can arrange for details of BRMA members to be registered
  • Takes action to improve access to third party markets, especially tyres.

Providing valuable information

  • BRTA undertakes new analysis & statistical reports of the tyre market
  • Disseminates information on new legislation on employment
  • Provides guidance to members on sources of advice on developments
  • Ensures members have full awareness of new legislation/Government initiatives and sources of advice.


Improving health, safety and environment management


HEALTH & SAFETY

BTMA assists, advises and Informs members

  • BTMA regularly issues HS&E bulletins on developments (c 5 per annum)
  • BTMA provides specific advice to members by telephone, letters and site visits
  • BTMA is involved in establishing a Safety Culture Benchmarking exercise for Accident Prevention
  • BTMA organises HS&E seminars/workshops.
  • BTMA represents members' interests on health and safety issues
BTMA participates actively at meetings of:
  • HSC's Rubber Industry Advisory Committee (RUBIAC)
  • CBI's Health & Safety Panel
  • CBI working parties on relevant topics
  • BPF Health & Safety Committee
  • BSI Rubber Machinery Standards Committee.

BTMA also:

  • Organises working parties as topics arise eg Accident Prevention Working Party
  • Collects statistics as a basis for assessing potential for improvements in employees' safety
  • Oversees further work under BTMA's Health Research Project
  • Provides Cytology Screening Services (BTMA carried out 5600 employee screenings in the year 2002)
  • Co-ordinates the Flexible Foam Cancer Mortality Study and Flexible Foam Respiratory Study
  • Assists and advises in relation to legal claims.

ENVIRONMENT

BTMA acts for members on a vast range of environmental issues

BRMA advises members on environmental aspects, for example specifically on:

  • European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive
  • VOC Directive
  • BTMA consults with Government on implementation of relevant EU Directives in UK
  • BTMA contributes to the development of policies, for example, on used tyre disposal in Used Tyre Working Group
  • BTMA disseminates information to members on new opportunities, for example, on used tyre recovery
  • BTMA assists members in awareness of other new waste management requirements
  • BTMA participates in ACORD meetings on end-life vehicles issues
  • BTMA influences policy. For example, BRMA is providing high level input into new waste management initiatives.