Bridgestone Australia states it has relinquished its Australian Tyre Industry Council (ATIC) membership for “a variety of business reasons pertaining to the operation of the Council.”
No further details explaining the tire firm’s differences with the ATIC have been given.
One consequence of Bridgestone Australia’s withdrawal from the ATIC is the end of its participation in Tyre Stewardship Australia, a non-profit, end-user funded body that aims to reverse unsustainable end of life tire collection and disposal practices. Instead, Bridgestone Australia says it is independently investigating its own tire-recycling program.
Furthermore, the company also recently engaged with non-Government environmental organization the Boomerang Alliance to gain advice on best practice and environmental compliance for end of life tires.
Bridgestone Australia says it supports a mandatory uniform levy on all imported new and second-hand tires (no new tires are manufactured in Australia), the proceeds from which should be applied for the responsible recycling of end of life tires. (Tyres & Accessories)