Our work: Tyrewise, NZ’s first regulated product stewardship scheme
Aim: To minimise the environmental impact of used tyres through ensuring they are effectively managed and high value end markets are developed.
The problem
Each year around 6.5 million tyres reach the end of their life in Aotearoa New Zealand. These tyres represent a wasted resource, with only an estimated 25% of tyres being recycled; the rest end up in landfill, illegally dumped, or stockpiled where they pose a fire-risk. Together 3R and key industry stakeholders decided it was time for a solution.
The solution
3R enabled the tyre and vehicle industry to work together for over a decade to drive a consistent, nationwide approach to the responsible disposal of end-of life-tyres (ELTs).
What did we do?
- We brought together competing brands to collaborate on the design of a world-class product stewardship programme
- We worked with successive governments to pursue the industry’s desire for a level playing field through the introduction of regulation
- We kept stakeholders engaged with the vision throughout the multi-phase project and the intervening years
- We guided the stakeholders through the complexities of becoming the first regulated product stewardship scheme in New Zealand
- We worked with the Ministry for the Environment to test pathways through the legislation
How did we do it?
- We consulted and engaged with stakeholders to ensure everyone had the opportunity to contribute
- We set up clear governance structures to ensure transparency
- We validated our ideas through extensive research and discussions nationally and internationally to ensure a robust scheme design
- We used our ability to build partnerships, our resilience and our tenacity to keep everyone engaged to achieve the end goal over more than a decade
- We used our in-depth knowledge of stewardship governance, operations and regulation to create a scheme which would deliver the best possible outcomes for New Zealand
Where to next
During 2022 and 2023 we will be working on the implementation of the Tyrewise scheme as project manager on behalf of Auto Stewardship New Zealand, the product stewardship organisation which governs Tyrewise, and alongside the Ministry for the Environment. A four-month trial will commence in August from Hawke’s Bay to test the systems and processes. Tyrewise is then due to be launched in mid-to-late 2023.
“One of the successes was the opportunity to build constructive partnerships [to] achieve the objectives of stewardship as well as creating new channels of communication that endure beyond the completion of the project”
Billie Watmuff, Former General Manager, Value Tyres Ltd (importer / reseller) – representing independent tyre importers and distributors on the Tyrewise working group.
