Our Story

Our current linear economy takes natural resources, makes things, and then disposes of them as waste. In contrast, the circular economy uses resources with ever-increasing efficiency, ensuring everything we create can be used for as long as possible and then be recycled or up-cycled. Envirocon has embedded this circular economy approach in our manufacturing system and product design, taking high-quality excess products from the old linear economy and up-cycling them into engineered precast concrete blocks. As a leader in the circular economy, Envirocon's innovative approach reduces costs, stimulates local economies, fosters innovation, and minimizes environmental impact. By cutting waste, we help combat climate change and build a more sustainable world.

Product Stewardship is the concept of manufacturers taking responsibility for their products through to end of life. By doing this, it’s hoped manufactures will design products that maximise resource efficiency and reduce long-term waste. Designing out waste is not necessarily an approach that works for all sectors. Ready-mix concrete is ubiquitous in the built environment. It’s also highly perishable. In this case, the most practical approach is to capture this excess stream of high quality certified ready mix concrete and up-cycle it into equally high-quality precast concrete products. These up-cycled products are designed in such a way that they can be easily used over and over again. This is the Envirocon Product Stewardship approach. We’re New Zealand’s first and only construction-related product stewardship scheme accredited by the Minister for the Environment under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.

One unique characteristic of the Interbloc precast wall system is its ability to be non-destructively dismantled, allowing the blocks to be reconfigured or reused. When you no longer need the blocks, Envirocon offers a unique buyback guarantee, a key part of our commitment to practical sustainability and the circular economy. This ensures that Interbloc customers have an asset with value at the end of its life, which is rare in the building materials industry. Envirocon will buy back only the Interbloc blocks that it manufactured and sold, with the minimum price calculated as a percentage of the original purchase price, quality, and age of the block as set out in the table below. Blocks originally sold as seconds, rejects, special blocks, flat top, flat bottom, and capper blocks are excluded, though we may still choose to offer a buyback on these blocks on an ad hoc basis.