rethink.retreads - a safe choice - 26/9/2003

Visit the rethink.retreads website at www.rethinkretreads.org.uk

Did you know that 100% of UK airlines use retreaded tyres? How about the fact that retreaded tyres are subject to more stringent safety controls than new ones? These are just some of the surprising facts communicated in the rethink.retreads campaign managed by The Wales Environment Trust under its CWMre Initiative and sponsored by The Welsh Assembly Government, The Welsh Development Agency and The Environment Agency Wales. This pioneering and proactive campaign is a first in the UK and has received full support from major tyre industry representative bodies, including The Tyre Industry Council and The Retread Manufacturers Association:


‘We are delighted at the enlightened approach to retreading being displayed by The Wales Environment Trust and we give the rethink.retreads campaign our wholehearted support. The campaign will be a major boon to the Welsh retreading industry’. Sheila Ikin, Director of the Retread Manufacturers Association.

Professor D Garel Rhys, an internationally renowned expert of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research, Cardiff University states:

‘Unfortunately because of myth and ignorance, the use of retreaded tyres meets a high degree of customer resistance and corporate indifference. Hence the importance of the rethink.retreads campaign managed by The Wales Environment Trust under the umbrella of its CWMre (Creating Welsh Markets for recyclate) Initiative’.

The rethink.retreads campaign provides authoritative guidance for buyers seeking best value for their commercial fleet tyre purchases and policy makers who wish to contribute to the sustainable development of Wales. It aims to get to grips with the very basics of what a retreaded tyre is and dispel the outdated, unsubstantiated concerns people have about them. The campaign focuses on improving confidence in the fact that Welsh retreads are:

· Safe on your budget
· Safe on the road
· Safe for the environment

The campaign commenced with a direct mail-shot to over 500 tyre purchase decision makers and policy makers and the launch of the rethink.retreads website (www.rethinkretreads.org.uk). Those who respond to questionnaires included in the mail-shot and on the website, will receive a free CD-ROM with additional useful resources. The campaign will also make appearances at several commercial vehicle & tyre related events over forthcoming months and regular news will be featured on the rethink.retreads website and in The CWMre Initiative’s E-Newsletter, In The Loop (obtain free by registering at www.cwmre.org.uk).

Creating Welsh Markets for recyclate (CWMre)

CWMre is The Welsh Market Development Initiative for recyclate (recycled materials) managed by The Wales Environment Trust. It aims to develop economically and environmentally sustainable markets for recyclate. It does this by assisting Welsh businesses to tap into the opportunities of manufacturing products made from recyclate and bringing them in touch with other players in the recycling loop. The Initiative is sponsored by The Welsh Assembly Government, The Welsh Development Agency and Shanks first fund. CWMre is seeking to drive forward the use of recyclate in Welsh manufacturing to reduce dependency on landfill and realise the economic and environmental benefits of recycling.

Free Advice and Support

CWMre helps businesses that are able to reuse or reprocess recyclate to manufacture recycled products. It provides free advice and support in the following areas:

* Securing Funding – identifying suitable sources of funding and preparing applications
* Marketing products made from recyclate
* Business Development– business plan writing, securing contracts and building relationships with other companies in the recycling loop
* Innovation– researching innovative new technologies and supporting technology transfer to Welsh companies
* Technical Issues including equipment and applications for specific materials

CWMre can also assist other players in the recycling loop (suppliers, collectors, brokers and end users) to work closer together and exploit the commercial opportunities of recyclate.

CWMre provides useful information on recyclate via its website, CWMre Online (www.cwmre.org.uk), Workshops and Events and In The Loop Newsletter.

Material Expertise

CWMre works, in developing markets for:
* Biodegradable materials
* End-Of-Life Vehicles (including Tyres and Lead Acid Batteries)
* Glass
* Paper/card
* Plastic
* Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE)
* Wood

Old Tyres…New Solutions

Developing sustainable alternatives to land fill is particularly pertinent for tyres when the impact of The EU Landfill Directive bites. The Directives ban the land filling of whole tyres from July 2003 and shredded tyres by July 2006. By stimulating buyer demand and fostering political support, the rethink.retreads campaign and business support provided through CWMre could help Welsh retreaders to divert almost 5000 tonnes of tyres from landfill per year. Not only will this reduce the release of potentially harmful chemicals and land reclamation problems associated with landfill but it will also provide new local jobs, safeguard local jobs and enable economic growth. The Wales Environment Trust is already making considerable progress in increasing the capacity of Welsh retreading having supported Maxsport Competition Tyres to relocate to Rhyader, Powys and use of Welsh retreads by facilitating a 6-month trial with Merthyr and Caerphilly Councils to replace their kerbside and litter collection vehicles with Welsh retreaded tyres. News of these successes are spreading and have enabled other projects to be progressed that will significantly increase Welsh retreading capacity in the near future.

However, support for the Welsh retreading industry is only one element of the market development work CWMre is undertaking in relation to tyres. CWMre also incorporates the re-use and reprocessing of tyres and recovery for energy in its strategy. At its Old Tyres…New Solutions Event in April 2003, The Wales Environment Trust brought together the key players to address the challenges and opportunities relating to used tyres in Wales. The event facilitated a consensual hierarchy for the various recycling solutions to be established and identified how The Trust can develop such solutions in the future. The Trust is now well underway with providing this support achieving some impressive results as recognised by Welsh Assembly Environment Minister, Carwyn Jones:

‘The Wales Environment Trust’s CWMre Initiative has been instrumental in helping Welsh businesses to develop environmentally and economically sustainable solutions for the waste tyres issue. The CWMre Initiative’s rethink.retreads campaign shows that Welsh retreads tyres are safe on your budget, safe on the road and safe for the environment. It also provides jobs in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government gives its full support to the work The Wales Environment Trust is doing in this field’.


For Further Information:

Websites:

rethink.retreads - www.rethinkretreads.org.uk
The Wales Environment Trust - www.walesenvtrust.org.uk
The CWMre Initiative - www.cwmre.org.uk

Telephone: The Wales Environment Trust – 01443 866 300
Email: info@walesenvtrust.org.uk

26/09/2003