MTA Announces Mark Gilbert as Refrigerants Trustee

MTA Chief Executive Lee Marshall says Mr Gilbert will be MTA's appointed trustee, following a competitive selection process.  

“Mark has a wealth of experience and industry knowledge that makes him the perfect fit for this important role,” Mr Marshall says.

“Cutting harmful emissions from synthetic refrigerants – F-gases, CFCs, and HCFCs – is essential to the health of future generations and preventing significant environmental harm. 

“MTA, Mark and the automotive industry are committed to addressing this issue.”

The Government has announced that New Zealand will have a regulated product stewardship system for synthetic refrigerants from 1 April 2027.

Anyone selling, charging, de-gassing, collecting, reclaiming, destroying or exporting synthetic refrigerants will need to participate in the regulated scheme. The TDSR will be responsible for operating and delivering the regulated scheme. 

The Trust has collected and destroyed synthetic refrigerants since 1993 and has run the accredited voluntary product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants since 2010. 

Lee Marshall says Mr Gilbert’s appointment amplifies Auto Stewardship's (ASNZ) growing central role in whole of life vehicle product stewardship, tying together the efforts of Tyrewise, the Battery Industry Group (BIG), tasked with creating a product stewardship scheme for end-of-life vehicle batteries, and the MTA developed plastic2eco bumper recycling programme which diverts plastic waste from landfill.

MTA successfully argued the automotive industry’s inclusion in the TDSR was essential, as synthetic refrigerants are used heavily in vehicle air conditioning systems.  The auto-sector is estimated to account for around 40% of the gasses in usage.

“This seat wasn’t gifted to us – it had to be fought for, and without action we could have seen the auto-sector inadvertently regulated by the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry.” Mr Marshall says.

“But now, with a voice, we have the best possible opportunity to ensure the scheme is enacted from April 2027 in a way that is practical and successful for our sector.  That’s always been our main goal.”

Mr Gilbert is a former Managing Director of BMW NZ, former chair of the Motor Industry Association (MIA), the current chair of Auto Stewardship NZ (instigator of Tyrewise) and BIG.

“Sustainability and clean vehicles are a subject close to my heart,” Mr Gilbert says.

“The whole sector feels a responsibility to reduce environmental harm, and I look forward to continuing this work with the TDSR to ensure the scheme is practical and successful for the automotive sector.”

The regulated scheme, combined with technical progress in the sector, is expected to reduce emissions by an estimated 400,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually by 2030 and support New Zealand’s international climate commitments.

MTA is working through the detail of the recently announced regulations with officials and will keep members informed about implications for automotive businesses. 

You can learn more about the TDSR here and the new regulations and product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants here.