New campaign to increase ‘product take back’ schemes
Abusibune busi bu b business sinesiss sine si ness ne ss campa cam campaign ampa am a paig pa ign ig tot to increase incncrereasas ncre nc c reas re ase as ‘product take back’ schemes has gained the support of the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund.
Product stewardship is when producers, brand owners, importers, retailers and/or consumers accept responsibility for reducing a product’s environmental impact.
A media release from the Sustainable Business Network says it involves greater oversight and control throughout the whole life cycle, from production through to end of use and beyond. It means avoiding wasteful products and eliminating unnecessary waste.
It also means redesigning products and doing more to ensure products and materials are recycled or reused.
The Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund has granted $160,000 to the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) for a two-year campaign to promote this.
The work will include a national roadshow to explain and promote
product produc pr uct uc stewsewar stewar stew stewardship. st ewar ew ardshi ards ar r dshi ds hip. hip hi h p. p Thi This his hi aiaims ai aims msm ms m to o increase the number of businesses offering ‘take-back’ product stewardship schemes. The ultimate goal is to increase the product stewardship schemes accredited by the Ministry for the Environment. There are currently 13.
One example is the Interface ReEntry Programme. This recycles used carpet tiles into new carpet tiles and other products. Carpet tiles beyond their usable life are returned to the original manufacturer in the US They are stripped and remanufactured.
The roadshows will be followed up with a national campaign encouraging business buyers to ask “What will I do with this at the end of its life?” when purchasing.
SBN’s CEO Rachel Brown says that it’s “fundamental to our future that we all take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of what we do in our personal and professional lives. If businesses are not providing their thei the th h ei e r customers cucust cust cu stomerser stomer stomom st omer om ers er witht wi with i th an end-eof- end-of end- een ene en e end-of-life d-dof d of- of -l - lif l if ife solution they are presenting them with an end -of-life problem. That has to be managed and paid for by the customer or ratepayers.
“Product stewardship schemes help solve the waste issue. They enable businesses to capture valuable resources. They create better and deeper relationships with customers. These are vital steps towards the emerging low carbon circular economy, which we are helping grow in NZ together with our members.”
Campaign partners include 3R Group, Inzide Commercial, Fuji Xerox and Abilities Group.
The grant came as the Ministry for the Environment opened its consultation on new product stewardship proposals. They include regulations to help New Zealand transition from a linear ‘throw-away’ culture based on ‘take-make-waste’, to a circular economy based on ‘makeuse-return’.