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PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP
a Tool for Sustainability

WHAT IS PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP?

Product stewardship is a term used to describe a product-centered approach to environmental protection. It calls on those in the product life cycle -- from designers, manufacturers, retailers, consumers, waste managers and disposers -- to share responsibility for reducing the environmental impacts of products.

Product stewardship activities have been taking place globally for over a decade. In the United States, this idea is gaining interest as more state and local governments cope with large, ever-changing, and complex waste streams.

What Can It Do?

Besides dealing with the waste management issues, product stewardship is about reducing the impacts of products as far up the product chain as possible. This can result in conservation of resources and protection of air, land, and water. The goal is that product stewardship drives better design and resource efficiency which saves money for the producer.

Where Is It Now?

Many product stewardship efforts now are now focused on the end-of-life management issues. Long-term goals are to affect the design stage of products so that they are less toxic, more readily refurbished, or recycled. Negotiations between government and industry are underway with the electronics industry and completed with the carpet industry to collaborate in finding ways to manage these wastes, capture and reuse the materials, and improve future product design.

The public sector - the government and the taxpayers - has borne most of the cost and responsibility for the management of products at the end-of-life. Product stewardship seeks to put some of that cost and responsibility onto those who produce and consume those products.

WHY SHOULD ECOLOGY BE INVOLVED?

Product stewardship can lead to improvements in air and water quality as well as in the waste management system. It is a new approach to existing problems. We can multiply our effort by working with others who are active in this area, and provide a coordinated rather than piecemeal approach in working with industry.

True product stewardship is an extension of our pollution prevention, technical assistance, and green purchasing work. It makes economic and environmental sense, and can help move us toward sustainable communities and resources.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP
IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT?

Product stewardship activities have successfully reduced pollution and solid waste entering the waste stream. It has encouraged manufacturers to think differently about resources and materials so that resources are conserved, and toxicity reduction, reuse, and recycling are considered at the product's design stage. Some product stewardship programs require mandatory actions, while others rely on a voluntary approach.

Examples:

When battery manufacturers were faced with the passage of laws in some states requiring them to be responsible for collecting and managing batteries, they encouraged passage of a national law. They started a collection program for nickel-cadmium batteries. The producers of cellular phones and power tools then redesigned the products to make it easier to remove the batteries.

When Minnesota passed a law requiring mercury containing products to be removed from the waste stream, mercury emissions at a local incinerator steadily declined.

In response to product stewardship requirements in Europe and Asia for computers, the manufacturers are now making products that are easier to recycle by limiting the types of plastics, labeling them, and designing the computers to be easily taken apart and upgraded.

CURRENT PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES

Nationally, product stewardship is becoming well established. EPA has a product stewardship program, *Extended Product Responsibility*. Many states are now incorporating these ideas into their environmental management and purchasing activities. EPA regions 9 and 10 have been coordinating some regional product stewardship activities. Ecology staff have recognized product stewardship as an environmental management and sustainability tool. The number of activities, both regional and national, that staff have been invited to participate in has grown dramatically.
The new Product Stewardship Institute's (PSI) goal is to coordinate and assist states in negotiations with industry on product stewardship. It is supported by Massachusetts, and by membership fees. Ecology is a founding member. Ecology staff are on the steering committee and product workgroups.	The Northwest Product Stewardship Council (NWPSC) is a group of agencies and non-profit organizations working together with businesses to integrate product stewardship into the policy and economic structures of the Pacific Northwest. Ecology staff are on the steering committee and sub-committees of this group. Current products include electronics, tires, mercury, and apparel.
The National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) is an effort coordinated by the PSI to dialogue with industry and government on electronics product stewardship. So far, industry and government have agreed to take steps to introduce a front-end fee on the purchase of new computers to fund a national collection and recycling system. Ecology staff are participating in this region.	The Western Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI) is a project of the NWPSC, to engage in a regional multi-stakeholder dialogue on electronics. It is funded by an EPA grant, and was recently expanded to included Regions 9 & 10. Ecology is on the steering committee. The outcome will be an Action Plan which describes steps to be taken to move toward a product stewardship model for electronics in the Northwest.
In January 2002, the Midwestern Work Group on Carpet Recycling signed an MOU with the Carpet and Rug Institute to initiate the creation of an industry funded third-party organization responsible for the collection and recycling of carpet. The next step of the workgroup is to ensure that the outcomes of the workgroup are applicable nationally.	Internal Ecology Activities: 1) The CRT workgroup developed an Interim Policy on CRT management to facilitate more recycling. 2) The HWTR and SWFA programs have undertaken a study called "Beyond Waste" which will examine product stewardship as a waste reduction tool. 3) The Product Stewardship Task Force has convened to promote product stewardship.

WHERE DO WE GO WITH
PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP AT ECOLOGY?

Because of the many Product Stewardship activities, Ecology is involved in the Product Stewardship Task Force, formed to coordinate our participation and our messages. Current members include Jay Shepard, Paige Sorensen, Dave Nightingale, Jerry Parker, Chipper Hervieux, and Patricia Jatczak. Cullen Stephenson is the group's advisor. Participation from other programs is encouraged, as product stewardship is not just a waste management tool.

The purposes of the group are to:

Articulate what product stewardship is and the importance to Ecology
Produce a Product Stewardship Strategy for Ecology, and
Make recommendations to management for support and authority to participate in national dialogues with industry.