Title: Consumer protection versus ecological sustainability - theoretical and practical aspects in the tyre recycling industry

Authors: Katarína Gubíniová; Philipp Seuser; Malgorzata A. Jarossová; Silvia Treľová

Addresses: Department of Marketing and Commerce, Faculty of Management, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 820-05 Bratislava 25, Slovakia ' Department of Marketing and Commerce, Faculty of Management, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 820-05 Bratislava 25, Slovakia ' Department of Marketing, Faculty of Commerce, University of Economics in Bratislava, Dolnozemská cesta 1, 852-35 Bratislava, Slovakia ' Department of Information Management and Enterprise Systems, Faculty of Management, Comenius Univerzity Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 820-05 Bratislava 25, Slovakia

Abstract: By publishing the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) regulation to protect consumers from hazardous substances in products, a new instrument was installed which brings various difficulties to the industry. With this regulation, almost all products which are placed in the European market will be carefully analysed in terms of their chemical components. Especially recycling products are heavily affected by the new rules on product safety. Therefore, rubber tiles could no longer be produced and taken into the European market under the REACH regulation. A risk-based adaption of REACH is urgently necessary to enable industry also in future to recycle tyres and make products out of this material. The aim of the paper is to provide practical applications of the consumer protection in terms of the implementation of the sustainability principles into the tyre recycling industry in the B2B market.

Keywords: consumer protection; sustainability; ecological sustainability; regulations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2025.149164

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2025 Vol.30 No.2/3, pp.91 - 103

Received: 18 Jan 2023
Accepted: 07 Oct 2023
Published online: 16 Oct 2025 *

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