Nearly three-quarters of global natural rubber production is used to produce tyres, supporting mobility around the globe. The projected increase in mobility could contribute to further expansion of rubber plantations and impact tropical ecosystems. We quantified the use of natural rubber in tyres in the European Union (EU), the corresponding land footprint, and explored drivers of tyre use using country-specific transport statistics and trade registers of rubber goods. Five percent of the world’s natural rubber is consumed in tyres used in the EU, using up to a quarter of the area under rubber plantations in some producing countries. Car use is responsible for 58% of this consumption, due to car-dependent lifestyles that are associated with economic prosperity and spatial planning paradigms. While the EU’s transport policy focuses on reducing dependence on fossil-fuels, cross-cutting policies are needed to address car-dependency and reduce the EU’s land footprint in tropical landscapes without compromising progress towards decarbonisation.

全球近四分之三的天然橡胶产量用于生产轮胎，支持全球流动性。预计流动性的增加可能有助于进一步扩大橡胶种植园并影响热带生态系统。我们量化了欧盟 (EU) 轮胎中天然橡胶的使用情况、相应的土地足迹，并使用特定国家的运输统计数据和橡胶制品贸易登记册探索了轮胎使用的驱动因素。世界上 5% 的天然橡胶用于欧盟使用的轮胎，在一些生产国使用了多达四分之一的橡胶种植园面积。由于与经济繁荣和空间规划范式相关的依赖汽车的生活方式，汽车使用占这一消费的 58%。