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CEMARS certification for 3R Group

By Caddie Digital on March 9th, 2015 in Compliance and certification
3R Awarded an Enviro-Mark award

Management guru Peter Drucker famously said “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”.

This thinking was behind 3R’s decision to start measuring our carbon footprint in 2008. After 6 years of ‘going it alone’, we took the step of seeking external validation through Enviro-Mark Solution’s CEMARS certification programme.

With sustainability at the very heart of our vision and business activities, it was only logical to take this the next step, showing that we’re serious about scrutinising our own impact on the environment.

In late February, following a 5 month process, 3R was delighted to become CEMARS certified, a standard that sits very comfortably alongside our ISO 14001 Environmental certification.

The resulting figures show that 3R activities produce 404 tonnes of CO2 annually. To put it in perspective, 404 tonnes is the equivalent of 85 passenger vehicles on the road for the year or would fill 86 Olympic swimming pools.

This volume includes emissions from 3R activities and those from the programmes we manage, including Agrecovery Rural Recycling, Resene PaintWise and the Dulux Paint and Packaging Take Back programme. Unsurprisingly, diesel use from collection activities makes up 74% of our result, followed a distant 2nd and 3rd by road freight and domestic air travel.

So now what? Well, as Drucker said, now we can actually manage those emissions!

Our primary aim is to reduce our emissions intensity metric (tonnes of CO2e per NZ$m of turnover) by 20% by 2020. A secondary intensity metric looks at the tonnes of CO2e per tonne of material collected by the programmes we manage. Again, our reduction target here is 20% by 2020. These allow us to grow both our business and our recovery rates while still reducing our relative carbon footprint.

A key project in this reduction programme is our new granulator trailer unit. Developed by the team at 3R alongside Omahu Machinery in Hastings, this granulator will replace the current 3R mobile processing truck which shreds container plastic from the Agrecovery programme. Among other efficiencies, the unit gives us significantly increased shredding and transport capacity so we use less diesel per tonne of plastic collected for recycling.

Alongside this is the establishment of our South Island processing base which saves significant freight in transporting recovered materials from the South to the North Island and therefore further reduces our emissions.

Want to know more?

If you’re thinking about going down the CEMARS path feel free to give Michelle a call on 0508 374 768, read the sustainability page on our website, or talk to the helpful people at Enviro-Mark Solutions.

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ISO 14001:2015

Environmental management systems and safe work practices.

ISO 14001:2015 is an internationally recognised standard that certifies our commitment to environmental management systems and safe work practices.

Consistent with our environmental policy, the intended outcomes of our environmental management system include:

  • The enhancement of environmental performance;
  • The fulfilment of compliance obligations;
  • The achievement of environmental objectives.

Our ISO 14001:2015 certification includes 3R Operations, the Paint Product Stewardship Programmes, ChemCollect Service and the SeatSmart Child Car Seat Recycling Programme (owned and operated by 3R).

This certification is audited by TELARC.

ISO 45001:2018

Keeping our people safe, healthy and happy.

ISO 45001:2018 certification has been chosen to demonstrate the importance we place in caring for our people as we bring to life our values of Kaitiakitanga and Manaakitanga.

Keeping our team safe, healthy and happy is a primary focus for our business. We feel that the work our operations staff do makes this particularly important. Their responsibilities can include collecting and processing paint; collecting chemicals; driving trucks around the country; and getting hands-on with work wherever needed.

3R received ISO 45001:2018 certification in 2021. The ISO 45001:2018 certificate is valid for 3 years and includes annual surveillance audits which provide a valuable framework for further growth.

What is a circular economy?

New Zealand is “one of the highest generators of waste per person in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)”. The way we currently produce and manage our waste is not sustainable.

The current economy in New Zealand is linear: this equates to a process of take-make-use-dispose. The aim of the government is to move towards a circular economy.

A circular economy can refer to either biological or technical materials.

With biological materials, the cycle could be defined as make-consume-enrich. In this cycle waste returns to the environment and enriches the land.

A technical materials cycle may be more like make-use-return. In a technical materials cycle waste is repurposed and used to make something new.

Whether you need help with biological materials, technical materials, or both; 3R can partner with your business to assess your current waste, then help you reduce it.