|
|
Press Release
Media Contact
Scott Cassel
Product Stewardship Institute,
Inc.
617-236-4822
scott@productstewardship.us
|
|
|
|
|
For printable copy click here
|
|
National
League of Cities Endorses Principles for Product Stewardship
Policy could
save millions and expand local government services
BOSTON, November 16, 2009 - In a move that could help local governments
save millions, the National League of Cities (NLC) voted to endorse
Principles for Product Stewardship last week at the Congress of Cities
& Exposition in San Antonio. The principles, which are based on those
created by the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) of Boston, MA, form
the basic building blocks for creating policy and legislation that
ensures products that are disposed of in a way that reduces their
health and environmental impact. As a part of its endorsement, NLC will
encourage its 19,000 members to pursue product stewardship and advocate
for the cause at the federal level.
"The endorsement of the NLC is a huge step forward for the product
stewardship movement," said Scott Cassel, PSI's Executive Director.
"Product stewardship can save millions of dollars for local
governments burdened by waste management costs and help them offer more
services."
"While everyone has a role to play in product stewardship, the
primary responsibility must lie with the producer. The costs for
ensuring products are properly recycled or disposed must be built into
the cost of doing business," Cassel said.
As a national environmental institute, PSI encourages manufacturers and
retailers to take increasing responsibility to reduce the entire
life-cycle impacts of a product and its packaging. PSI believes this is
a key strategy to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases and address
climate change issues. Many state and local governments have already
adopted PSI's principles.
"I am pleased NLC membership voted to support the Principles for
Product Stewardship, which call attention to the harmful effects of
consumer waste and the need for reducing a product's life-cycle
impacts," said Claude Mattox, Council Member, Phoenix, Arizona,
chair of the NLC Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Promoting responsibility by manufactures and others along the
product chain will not only reduce the environmental impact of
products, but will also reduce the amount of trash directed to
landfills, which assists local governments in their efforts to reduce
waste management costs. The Principles for Product Stewardship will
guide federal policy and support local governments in their efforts to
ensure the protection of public health and the environment."
The Principles for Product Stewardship endorsed by the NLC are as
follows:
1) Producer Responsibility
The responsibility for reducing
product environmental impacts should be shared by all segments of the
industry, including designers, manufacturers, importers, retailers and
conveyors of products and product components. Manufacturers, however,
have the greatest ability to minimize product lifecycle impacts and
consequently bear the greatest responsibility for addressing those impacts.
2) Internalize Costs
All product lifecycle costs should be included in the total product
cost. The environmental costs of product manufacture, use, and
disposal should be minimized, to the greatest extent possible, and
ultimately assumed by the manufacturers and consumers of
products. Local governments and taxpayers should be relieved of
the financial burden of product and packaging management.
3) Incentives for Cleaner Products and Sustainable Management
Practices
Policies that promote and implement product stewardship principles
should create incentives for manufacturers to design and produce
"cleaner" products that are created using less energy,
materials, and toxics. These policies should create incentives for the
development of sustainable and environmentally-sound producer- led
systems to collect, reuse, and recycle products.
4) Flexible Management Strategies
Those responsible for reducing the health and environmental impacts of
products should have the flexibility to determine the most
cost-effective means of doing so. Performance measures are
critical to determining the success and effectiveness of these
programs.
5) Roles and Relationships
Industry must take the lead in achieving these goals, but all
levels of government and consumers must also play a role. Government
should promote product stewardship through procurement practices,
technical assistance, market development, and agency coordination.
Government should also remove regulatory barriers that impede product
stewardship and provide incentives and disincentives when
necessary. To the greatest extent possible, these product
stewardship principles should apply to those industries and vendors
located in any country who sell their products in the United States.
Industry and government should provide consumers with the information
they need to make responsible environmental purchasing, reuse,
recycling, and disposal decisions.
|
About PSI:
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is a national environmental
institute with membership from 45 states, 100 local governments, and
more than 50 businesses, environmental groups, and organizations that
establishes cooperative agreements to reduce the health and
environmental impacts from consumer products. Please visit http://www.productstewardship.us for more
information.
About NCL:
The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest
organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of
opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate
for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218
million Americans. For information visit http://www.nlc.org.
# # #
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
