GlobalPSC News – May 2023
Design Details for New Flooring Stewardship Scheme
The Australian Resilient Flooring Association (ARFA), supported by key industry players, released scheme design information during today’s launch of ResiLoop, a product stewardship scheme for resilient flooring (vinyl, linoleum and rubber sheets and tiles).
About ResiLoop
ResiLoop is an initiative of ARFA to research and design an Australian resilient flooring product stewardship scheme. The project received funding from the Australian Government through the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.
ResiLoop is developing a business case, supported by a proof of concept, for a national scheme supported by the industry in Australia. Based on material flow analysis of locally-made and imported products consumed in the domestic market, it will address the logistics of recovering and sorting flooring waste streams, development of suitable recycling technologies and processes to produce recyclate of optimal quality, and identification and development of viable end markets for the material in Australia.
Additional Context
As with other product stewardship schemes without the underpinning regulation of extended producer responsibility, engaging industry players to gain reasonable coverage will be key. ResiLoop has 50 initial signatories to the scheme, and plans additional engagement as additional details are available.
A product stewardship organisation will be established to administer the program, with implementation planned for 2024.
The funding model revealed today involves product suppliers paying a fee per functional unit of eligible products, contractors and retailers paying a low annual membership fee and end users paying a surcharge on purchase and installation of ResiLoop-covered products. An independent third party will be responsible for fee calculation and collections to maintain confidentiality of commercially sensitive information.
