Product Stewardship 3R Product Stewardship 3R Product Stewardship 3R
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3R provide practical and innovative advice and service solutions for industry and government to help meet growing demand for more sustainable business practices.

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Bay Groups Technology Hailed

bruce_and_nightingaleHastings recycling experts 3R Group Ltd's innovative way to save the environment from potentially damaging left over paint, sees it scooping a top award for the technology it developed while community groups get free paint.

"We are committed to recovering as much of the estimated 20 million litres of old paint sitting in New Zealander's sheds as possible", director Bruce Emerson said.   "When Resene Paints said they wanted to develop a recovery programme for waste paint and paint packaging we had a look internationally to see what was happening and found nothing.

"We had to design something from the start and while it has been challenging we now have a product that is working and which is now attracting interest from international paint companies."  The top award from the Sustainable Business Network was for 3R's world first PaintWise mobile crusher and decanting system that recovers unused paint and packaging for Resene Paints Ltd nationwide.

Group director Bruce Emerson said the award was further acknowledgement of his company’s commitment to developing stewardship programmes for a wide range of industries in New Zealand and internationally form its base in Hawke’s Bay.  “This is fantastic for the team at 3R, as developer of the technology, and also for Resene which championed the whole programme,” he said.

The collected paint has a variety of end applications.  Mr Emerson said much of the water based paint was donated back to community groups and used for projects including graffiti removal. 

Business partner Graeme Norton is the project manager of a collaboration group, PaintCrete, which has been researching ways of putting the paint into concrete applications.  “This is looking very promising and it is expected that the group will announce a break-through application shortly,” Mr Norton said. 

The award-winning PaintWise technology enabled paint cans to be crushed and the liquid decanted on site at PaintWise collection depots nationwide.  “Essentially taking the factory to the store.”

The group specialises in designing, implementing and managing Product Stewardship schemes and has developed several innovative recycling programmes including the Agrecovery rural recycling programme and Resene PaintWise.  It also runs the Waste Exchange.

The Sustainable Business Awards, run by the sustainable Business Network which represents more than 600 businesses nationwide, are part of the Get sustainable Challenge, a rigorous assessment process which measures a business’ commitment to key sustainability goals and outcomes.

Hawkes Bay Today
11/9/07
 
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