TESLA MOTORS, INC. | Adopt sustainable tires policy at TESLA MOTORS, INC.

Status
Filed
Previous AGM date
Resolution details
Company ticker
TSLA
Lead filer
Individual
Resolution ask
Adopt or amend a policy
ESG theme
  • Environment
ESG sub-theme
  • Waste and pollution
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Consumer Discretionary
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Shareholders request that Tesla, Inc. commit to implementing a sustainable tire solution for Tesla vehicles as soon as possible. This could be developed in-house and/or with partners.

Tesla could define their own sustainable tire criteria, for example:

1) Excellent performance and safety.

2) Zero pollution from 6PPD-Q and microplastics during use and end-of-life.

3) Made of renewable materials.

4) Fully-recyclable into new tires.

5) Long-lasting.

As Robin Denholm stated during Tesla’s 2024 AGM, “Sustainability is not just about avoiding emissions. It needs to take into account the whole lifecycle from the manufacturing of the products to the products’ end of life.” 1
Supporting statement
Tire pollution is an extremely difficult and urgent global problem that challenges Tesla’s mission. None-the-less, Tesla’s exceptional engineers already design “Tesla-Approved” tires with suppliers and could meaningfully accelerate the development and production of sustainable tires.2 3 4

6PPD-Q is a highly toxic chemical discovered in 2025 that leaches from tire rubber and has been found in the air of 15 megacities,6 surface waters of Canada7 and Australia,8 and in South China’s drinking water.9 People and animals inadvertently ingest 6PPD-Q and microplastics that are emitted from the ~2.5 billion tires produced around the globe annually.10

Of the ~263 million tires scraped every year in the USA without closed-loop recycling, most are burnt or spread on children’s playgrounds and sports fields.11

Tire pollution harms children. For example, 6PPD-Q has been found in human urine, including children and pregnant women.12 Children exposed to 6PPD-Q had reduced body mass index and increased frequency of diarrhea and influenza.13 Studies of laboratory mice (an experimental model for humans) reveal that 6PPD-Q does the following: has toxic effects on the liver; rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier; accumulates in organs such as the kidney, lungs, testis, liver, spleen, heart, and muscles; and transfers from mother into the placenta, embryo body and embryo brain.14

Tire pollution kills salmon. Coho salmon die when exposed to only 95 ng/L of 6PPD-Q.15 Road run-off containing 6PPD-Q kills 60% to 100% of coho salmon in some U.S. urban streams, leading to local extinctions.16 Other fish species worldwide are also impacted.

Tire pollution harms whales and human societies. Iconic Killer Whale populations, which are starving and becoming extinct along the U.S. and Canadian Westcoast, depend upon coho salmon for food.17 Commercial fishermen have sued tire manufacturers for 6PPD-Q’s damage to their fisheries.18 Indigenous nations and community groups have petitioned governments regarding 6PPD-Q’s impacts on salmon abundance for food security and cultural practices.19 20 21

A sustainable tire, therefore, would help the entire planet.

Tesla can achieve ambitious goals. Vote YES and let them run.22

“If they can land rockets, you’d think they could design a non-toxic tire.”23

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