National off-the-road (OTR) tyre circular economy business case
OVERVIEW
Funded by the Australian Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund and Tyre Stewardship Australia, Urban EP was engaged to lead development of a national pathway forward for Australia to realise the benefits of off-the-road (OTR) tyre, conveyor and track resource recovery, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.
KEY INFO
| Location: | Australia |
| Stakeholders: |
Mining & Agriculture, Tyre Brands & Tyre Stewardship Australia |
| Solutions: | Tyre Recovery |
THE BRIEF
Tyre Stewardship Australia engaged Urban EP to prepare a National Business Case for Recovering End of Life Off the Road (OTR) Tyres with the aim of framing the value in improving the recovery of OTR tyres, conveyor belts and rubber tracks across Australia, and set out an appropriate path to achieve this end.
OTR rubber products are critical for the Australian economy. Up to 245,000 tonnes are used and become waste each year, with around 80% of this coming from the mining sector and 10% from agriculture. Regrettably, the vast majority is buried on site, stockpiled, or sent to landfill. As a result, the substantial benefits available from recovering valuable resources from end-of-life OTR tyres and other products have failed to materialise. Similarly, exploration of the environmental and commercial benefits of repairing, reusing and other practices to extend the economic value of intact OTR tyres has been limited in light of their full potential.
The Urban EP team was engaged to test the national case for and put forward actions to:
Broaden the current Stewardship Scheme to include the complete tyre and rubber product supply chain – from passenger tyres to OTR tyres, and conveyor belts and rubber tracks – in line with a circular economy approach to tyre product stewardship.
Improve recycling rates for OTR tyres and related rubber products from priority sectors that use those items, overcoming barriers to adopting OTR tyre recovery services.
Establish a viable recovery pathway for OTR tyre derived materials.
Develop market opportunities for OTR tyre and related rubber products in order to stimulate greater collection, recycling and investment.
THE RESULTS
Urban EP delivered a nationally focused report:
Published by Tyre Stewardship Australia as the most up to date and definitive picture of Australia’s significant OTR, conveyor and track consumption and recovery options
Taking a big step forward in defining OTR tyres, tracks and conveyors products, their applications, and the distribution of consumption across Australia (including regional catchments where consumption and waste generation is concentrated).
Detailing the current end-of-life management of different OTR rubber products, based on their application, how this compares to international management, and the range of options for recovering different OTR rubber products.
Establishing the barriers and opportunities for recovering end-of-life OTR rubber products with targeted analysis for the key consumption and waste generation catchments.
Identifying operational models that could be implemented to achieve recovery of end-of-life OTR rubber products.
Improving understanding of the upstream (i.e. demand for natural and synthetic resources and related impacts) and downstream (i.e. social, environmental and economic effects) variables to consider when exploring end-of-life OTR tyre management options.
Framing the costs, benefits, opportunities and risks associated with shifting from a prevalent use of disposal for OTR tyres to the use of recovery models, guiding OTR tyre generators, supply chains, regulators and other parties on matters to account for when embarking on a management solution in line with circular economy principles.
With a set of recommendations to begin the implementation of recovery solutions for end-of-life OTR rubber products.