34 | Mark Troughear, Freightways CEO at the SaveBOARD Te Rapa plant TRANSPORT Freightways Turning waste into building material Karen Phelps SaveBOARD CEO Paul Charteris with waste material and product samples. Proud to be a manufacturing partner with SaveBOARD and their sustainability journey Fabrication & Pipe Services Ltd 26 Sheffield Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton END-TO-END SERVICE &QUALITY p: 07 8505060 e: info@pipeweld.co.nz w: pipeweld.co.nz Freightways is assisting its customers to lower their carbon footprint as well as help the New Zealand construction industry with building supply shortages via a $2.7 million investment in SaveBOARD. SaveBOARD upcycles packaging waste into construction board and the investment is not only a commercial decision but also the right thing to do, says Freightways CEO Mark Troughear. “SaveBOARD converts materials like Tetra Pak and fast food cartons, which were previously not recyclable, into building board that performs similarly to plywood, oriented strand board and particleboard and can be used indoors and out. With transport and construction combined accounting for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, Freightways recognised the business as an opportunity to do things better,” he says. SaveBOARD uses patented Smart Technik technology to convert the waste including fibre and poly-coated packaging like coffee cups, carton board and soft plastic waste. The product is made with zero water, zero glues, zero chemicals and zero VOC emissions or formaldehydes. The product’s green credentials meet all obligations under 14G of the Building Act, reducing waste from the environment and up to 90 per cent reduction in carbon. It is also possible to recover the offcuts and end of life boards to be remanufactured into new board products, providing a zero waste to landfill solution. Initial backing in 2020 from Freightways in the form of a $1.1 million loan was later converted into a 22 per cent shareholding in November 2021 after significant interest was generated in the venture. The more recent investment has enabled SaveBOARD to open a plant in Te Rapa, which became fully operational at the end of 2021. It is now converting up to 4000 tonnes of waste per year into approximately 200,000 construction boards. It will also help to set up a similar facility in Sydney. The operation also includes a wash/dry line in the production facility, a crucial element missing from many recycling facilities resulting in recyclable – but contaminated – materials heading to landfill. The wash/dry line is now operational after receiving funding from Callaghan Innovation. SaveBOARD founder Paul Charteris says the technology has seen incredible uptake offshore from leaders wanting to demonstrate green solutions to building. For example, Tesla opted to use SaveBOARD for the membrane substrate of its 200,000 square-metre roof of the Gigafactory One, which has saved 2,000 tonnes of waste from landfill. In New Zealand there has been similarly high interest and Paul says SaveBOARD needs less than 1 per cent of the New Zealand market here to reach its initial capacity. Recycling isn’t new to the Freightways portfolio. The Information Management Group manages document destruction and large scale paper recycling. It is also now supplying businesses with the service to recycle class 4 soft plastics and disposable coffee cups. “Our investment strategy hinges on increasing efficiencies and creating a circular economy; we’re actively seeking out solutions that work with complementary waste streams, finding a way to reuse product in a meaningful way – at a scale that creates real impact,” says Mark. “The investment in SaveBOARD complements our existing waste collection services by offering our clients a way to deal with waste within their own businesses. One of Freightways’ core principles is to take ownership and solve problems through action. We’re in the business of getting things done now, rather than relying on suppliers and customers to come up with solutions.” Mark says the investment will also accelerate Freightways’ own goal of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035. Through the Australian arm of Freightways’ companies Shred-X and Med-X, it already diverts over 98% of its collected waste from landfill. Freightways is New Zealand’s largest express logistics business with over 5,000 people engaged as employees and contractors handling over 100 million items per year. Mark says Freightways is always looking at new opportunities. “Our mission is to find new ways to pick up products from our customers and, rather than sending them to landfill, find ways to add value. It’s about enabling a circular economy and helping businesses to lower their carbon footprints.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=