Tyre giant Hankook is the latest manufacturer to partner with Tyre Stewardship Australia in a commitment to the responsible disposal of end-of-life tyres.
The Hankook Tire & Technology Group today announced it is the newest contributor to the National Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme, taking the total number of importers to nine.
Hankook Managing Director Ted Choi said the decision to sign up to the Scheme was recognition of the work of TSA and its achievements.
“By cultivating win-win relationships like this one with Tyre Stewardship Australia, Hankook shows it too is a leader in preserving and protecting the environment for the next generation – a responsibility we take seriously,” Mr Choi explained.
“Hankook Tire & Technology makes constant efforts for economic, social and environmental sustainability of the natural rubber value chain. Through partnerships like this one with TSA, we are dedicated to mitigating our environmental impact not only in product manufacturing but also across the entire lifecycle from product development to use and disposal.”
TSA Chief Executive Lina Goodman congratulated Hankook on the initiative.
“In joining TSA as a financial contributor, Hankook joins our other importers in showing leadership towards sustainable practices for used tyres. We congratulate Hankook for taking this important initiative to drive positive environmental outcomes,” Ms Goodman said.
Hankook joins Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear Dunlop, Kumho, Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo and Yokohama as tyre importers contributing to finding alternate solutions for Australia’s end of life tyres (EOLT). Car manufacturers Volkswagen, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are also contributing to TSA.
Australia generates the equivalent of 56 million end-of-life passenger tyres (EOLT) annually. Whilst 72 per cent is re-used, reprocessed or upcycled, 28 per cent of the volume is still disposed to landfill, buried or stockpiled.
“TSA’s mission is to deliver against circular economy principles, ensuring the lifecycle of tyres is maximised, the residual waste product is valuable, and the entire supply chain works cohesively to contribute to better sustainable outcomes,” Ms Goodman continued.
“Since the voluntary Scheme’s inception in 2013, we now have more than 1700 participants from across the tyre supply chain including retailers, manufacturers, auto-brands, recyclers and collectors.
“Through our globally-admired Market Development initiatives, TSA has committed more than $6 million nationally to find innovative and entrepreneurial ways to manage the used tyres generated in Australia for greater productive outcomes.
“Our Foreign End Market (FEM) verification program is the only global platform aimed at verifying that Australian-generated end-of-life-tyres are not causing environmental or social harm at their final destination.
“But while there is an incredible amount of goodwill, as importers like Hankook are proving, there are also still too many ‘free riders’ – those organisations currently selling tyres into the Australian market, but not taking responsibility for them.
“These companies have been enjoying all the benefits of what TSA has to offer without contributing to the solution.”
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