Product Stewardship Gains More Allies

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CC license by Flickr user Samuel Mann

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Product stewardship councils in Vermont and British Columbia have adopted the “Joint Framework Principles for Product Stewardship Policy."

The concept of product stewardship makes producers responsible - financially and/or physically - for the proper collection and disposal of items. The principles are intended to guide legislation and policies that oversee multiple products, instead of legislating on a product-by-product basis.

Product stewardship is primarily aimed at items that are toxic, difficult or expensive to recycle, or harmful to people and the environment. Making producers responsible for the end-of-life of products ensures items are being recycled, reused or destroyed properly when they are disposed of, and it is also intended to drive changes in the design, manufacturing and distribution of products. Product stewardship programs also shift the burden of item disposal from governments and taxpayers to producers.

The "Joint Framework Principles" (PDF) have already been adopted by the California and Northwest (Washington and Oregon) product stewardship councils. Each council had originally developed separate guidelines, and the Product Policy Institute helped combine them into one document.

Los Angeles has also adopted a resolution in support of bringing producer responsibility to California, joining a number of other cities and counties to call on the states to implement framework producer responsibility legislation. Los Angeles will also expand its Environmental Purchasing Program to include producer responsibility policies like leasing products and making sure purchasing decisions take into account the collection and recycling of items.

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