ETEL acquisition reinforces Stapleton’s commitment to sustainability in all life stages of a tyre
Stapleton’s Tyre Services today welcomes a new phase in its partnership with Murfitts Industries, following the announcement that European Tyre Enterprise Ltd (ETEL) has agreed the acquisition of Murfitts, the UK’s leading tyre recycling company.
Stapleton’s has seen its customers placing a greater emphasis on the issues of sustainability and the environmental impact of the entire tyre supply chain. With Murfitts joining the ETEL group, Stapleton’s will be able to offer all its customers a fully audited integrated supply and collection process, giving them the reassurance that their motorists’ used tyres are being reprocessed responsibly.
As the balance of the car parc continues to shift towards vehicles with low or zero tail pipe emissions, there will be increasing scrutiny on the other areas in which motoring has an environmental impact, with tyres a primary focus.
As part of ETEL, Stapleton’s has been focused on initiatives to reduce the impact of tyres in three stages – pre-life, in-life and post-life. Stapleton’s offering in the post-life stage, ie the disposal and recycling of post-consumer tyres, will be transformed by having Murfitts under the same ownership.
Andy Fern, Stapleton’s managing director, says: “We have had many customers asking us for a complete end-of-life solution and this announcement further strengthens our approach to supporting them, at a time when the environmental impact of the entire tyre supply chain has, quite rightly, never been more scrutinised. Being able to offer audited re-processing, along with the potential to recover valuable raw materials to feed back into the production cycle will be very appealing to a lot of our customers.”
The acquisition of Murffits by ETEL follows a major initiative by the group in the pre-life phase of tyres, with Stapleton’s supporting Project TREE, a sustainable natural rubber programme launched this month. The project brings together partners across the tyre production process to commit to the use of ethically sourced natural rubber. Pirelli tyres which contribute to Project TREE are already available from Stapleton’s, with Hankook products to follow.
Fern highlights that Stapleton’s national network with 11 distribution hubs also contributes to the sustainability of this pre-life phase. He said: “When considering the sustainability of a tyre it should include the impact of getting it to the point where it can be fitted to a vehicle. This means the supply of tyres within a locality has never been more relevant and important, and using our logistics expertise and scale we can maximise the efficiency of tyre delivery, from factory to hub to retail centre.”
How a tyre performs in use remains the paramount consideration for both Stapleton’s customers and motorists. With a wide range of brands, and a particular strength in premium manufacturers, Stapleton’s provides reliable availability of original equipment replacements and a strong line up of tyres with the best labelling scores. This is important in keeping any vehicle running efficiently but is especially crucial for electric vehicles where both tyre life and range can be significantly reduced with the wrong fitment, compromising the environmental benefits of zero emissions.
With an ever-growing focus on sustainability and the circular economy, Stapleton’s new partnership with Murfitts will help drive progress in reducing the impact throughout the tyre value chain as the sector continues to respond to a rapidly changing car parc.