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Minister’s priority product announcement “groundbreaking”

By Kiri Speirs on August 9th, 2019 in Product Stewardship
Priority product consultation announcement Eugenie Sage big move says 3R

Government’s announcement that it will begin consulting on a plan to make multiple industries accountable for their products and packaging at end of life is groundbreaking, but long overdue, for New Zealand.

This is according to product stewardship specialists 3R Group. Chief Executive Adele Rose says the announcement is one of the most significant in terms of tackling waste, and finally makes use of powerful tools provided by the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.

Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage today announced consultation will begin on a proposal to declare consumer goods packaging, tyres, e-waste, refrigerants and other synthetic gases, agrichemicals and their containers, and farm plastics priority products under the Act.

Adele says many people aren’t aware that voluntary product stewardship is already happening all around them. “From paint to soft plastics, mobile phones to glass bottles and jars – there are businesses already working to take responsibility for their products at end-of-life.”

“This move on the part of the Government will strengthen and broaden the work that is already being done by ensuring there are no free-riders in these proposed product categories. All producers and the whole supply chain would have to participate.”

Regulated product stewardship under the Act is a solution for managing products that can cause environmental harm at the end of life. Once something is declared a priority product, a product stewardship scheme must be developed and accredited, and use of regulatory powers under the Act can be exercised that will require all producers to participate.

“3R is right in the thick of the development of product stewardship programmes on behalf of various stakeholders for many of these proposed priority products. Projects are already well underway for end-of-life tyres, refrigerant gases, rigid food and beverage packaging, as well as lubricant packaging. We’re also managing existing accredited voluntary schemes for glass bottles and jars through the Glass Packaging Forum and paint and packaging for Resene PaintWISETM,” says Adele.

The Government’s declaration of priority product is no surprise for some of these products, however the inclusion of packaging is an indication of how serious they are about transitioning New Zealand to a circular economy, she says.

“We’ve long believed that product stewardship is the cornerstone of the development of a circular economy. It encourages waste to become a resource, rather than just be thrown away. This steers us away from the current wasteful linear economy where we take resources, make things and then just throw them in landfill. Critically, it forces change further up the supply chain, looking at design, manufacture and material use.”

“For a long time we have been lagging behind other OECD countries and not living up to our own expectations of a clean green New Zealand. This announcement has the power to make huge inroads to improve that.”

“Co-designed and regulated product stewardship with use of regulatory powers has the potential to transform New Zealand in terms of reducing waste. It will decrease our reliance on virgin materials and tackle elements of climate change, while stimulating job creation as new business opportunities are realised. It is also the signal industry has needed to invest in onshore processing.”

“Our Kiwi ingenuity will take us a long way now that the right regulatory tools are being used.”

Further information: Government media release and consultation document.

Previous 3R Case study Resene

Case study: Resene PaintWise

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New campaign to help businesses take more responsibility for what they make

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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.