Green tick for Bandag

Due to its significant investment in a variety of green initiatives, truck and bus retread heavyweight Bandag Manufacturing has been lauded by the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC).

A wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Australia, Bandag Manufacturing retreads over 550,000 heavy vehicle tyre casings annually, minimising waste and significantly reducing tyre manufacturing's environmental footprint.

Bandag Manufacturing's General Manager – Retread Business, Greg Nielsen, said the company was honoured to receive the award.

"At Bandag, we pride ourselves on being as environmentally friendly as we can and it's extremely gratifying to be formally recognised for our efforts," he said.

"We want to make sure our commitment to the environment doesn't end with our products, and inspires others in the transport industry to do the same."

A variety of initiatives have been implemented at the company's Wacol manufacturing site in Brisbane, including rainwater harvesting, the adoption of low-energy LED lighting and the upgrade of the plant's gas boiler.

"Most recently we invested in two 100-kilowatt solar power systems, which will significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Nielsen said.

"We're also going to double our rainwater harvesting capacity by the end of the year and are finalising a plan to recycle 200 tonnes worth of tread scrap annually."

Mr Nielsen says Bandag's green focus flows through to its product line-up, with its Low Rolling Resistant (LRR) retreads offering a 14 per cent lower rolling resistance coefficient than comparable equivalents.

"Our LRR retreads have proven to deliver between two per cent and six per cent fuel savings for transport operators, reducing their fuel consumption and subsequent carbon emissions significantly," he said.

Bandag Manufacturing was presented with the QBIC awards at the latter's annual conference in Cairns in April.

Nominees were assessed on their management commitment to the environment and innovation, the practical measures they've adopted to address environmental issues, and the extent to which they have been innovative and proactive.

Photo: Bandag Manufacturing General Manager – Retread Business, Greg Nielsen (left), and Technical Manager, Brad Shield, with the QBIC Environmental Innovation award.