Second life for soft plastics now available in building boards at Bunnings

Built from waste and designed for real life, Kiwis everyday soft plastics now offer a 100% waterproof practical alternative to ply to line the garage, trailer or subfloors with.

Every year, New Zealanders carefully wash, dry and drop off their soft plastics - often wondering what happens next. Now, the answer is arriving in a Bunnings stores.

In a major step forward for New Zealand’s circular economy, saveBOARD’s 2Faced boards, made from 100% recycled post-consumer soft plastic, are rolling out to 25 Bunnings stores this April, giving household recycling efforts a tangible outcome and helping strengthen Aotearoa’s circular economy.

The boards are manufactured using soft plastics collected through the Packaging Forum’s Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme (SPRS) - a nationwide programme that has been operating for more than a decade and now supports 320 public drop-off locations across New Zealand.

“This is circular economy in action,” said Paul Charteris, Founder of saveBOARD.

“The plastic people take the time to recycle in store is coming back as a product they can see and use. We see this as a significant step forward in turning hard-to-recycle waste into locally made building solutions with lasting environmental benefits,” said Charteris.

Manufactured in Hamilton, saveBOARD is made using 100% post-consumer soft plastics, with no added glues, chemicals or adhesives - the plastic itself becomes the binding agent.

The result is a tough, versatile board that is:

• 100% waterproof - won’t swell or rot
• High-impact and flexible - suitable for tough worksites and DIY projects
• Recyclable at end of life - returned and remanufactured into new boards
• A practical alternative to plywood, from shed linings and garages to temporary floor protection and construction use

Each board diverts approximately 12.5kg of soft plastics from landfill, with a single pallet representing over 600kg of recycled material given new life.

This launch is the result of a long-standing collaboration between saveBOARD and The Packaging Forum, working together to create local, scalable solutions for New Zealand’s soft plastics challenge.

“The soft plastics scheme only works if there is strong demand for products made from recycled material at the end of the system,” said Craig Miller, Chief Executive of The Packaging Forum.

“Last year, we transformed over 890 tonnes of soft plastic into new products. saveBOARD’s 2Faced boards show how recycled material can become high-quality, everyday solutions - keeping valuable resources in use and out of landfill.”

Bringing saveBOARD into Bunnings stores will strengthen the connection between household recycling efforts and tangible outcomes - turning good intentions into measurable impact.

Melissa Haines, Bunnings NZ General Manager shares, “At Bunnings, we’re dedicated to providing our customers with solutions that not only help them tackle their projects but also make it easier to choose more sustainable options for their homes and communities.

“Introducing saveBOARD to our stores is another step in our ongoing journey to back local innovation, reduce environmental impact, and help build a more circular economy for New Zealand,” Haines said.

SaveBOARD will initially be available in 25 Bunnings stores, with its success set to determine future expansion and the potential to process significantly more soft plastics through the scheme.

Download the media release