Product Stewardship Resources

Product Stewardship, also known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept whereby product manufacturers assume primary responsibility for their products throughout the entire lifecycle of the products from material selection to recovery and recycling.

What is Product Stewardship / EPR?

• CalPSC Video & Brochure (18 min; produced and funded by PPI)
• NWPSC Video: Better Way-Product Stewardship (WMV format, 14 min)
• British Columbia's Stewardship Model
• Product Stewardship – Whose Responsibility Is It? By Kim Mote, City of Fort Worth (Dec 2008)
• Joint Framework EPR Principles (adopted by local government councils)
• Framework EPR Q & A  (PPI)
• National Association of Counties Framework EPR Resolution (July 2008)
• Unintended Consequences:  Municipal Solid Waste Management and the Throwaway Society By Helen Spiegelman & Bill Sheehan (March 2005)
• Minnesota Product Stewardship Recommendations Report (MPCA, Jan 2009)

Local Government Actions for Product Stewardship

• Tools for Local Action Product Policy Institute
• Model Local EPR Resolutions Product Policy Institute
• City of Minneapolis EPR Legislative Priority for 2009
• Purchasing Best Practices: Contracting for Producer Responsibility   by Green Purchasing Institute
• Transitioning to Zero Waste: What Can Local Governments Do Now?   by Helen Spiegelman (14 pp., March 2006)
• Product Stewardship Council Resources Product Policy Institute

Key Websites

• Product Policy Institute  
• Product Stewardship Institute
• California Integrated Waste Management Board/EPR  
• Northwest Product Stewardship Council   
• California Product Stewardship Council
• Texas Product Stewardship Council

  United States: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/epr/index.htm

  Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment:

  http://www.ccme.ca/ourwork/waste.html?category_id=128

  Environment Canada: http://www.ec.gc.ca/epr

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: http://www.oecd.org/document/19/0,3343,en_2649_34281_35158227_1_1_1_1,00.html

Electronics Takeback Campaign:

http://www.electronicstakeback.com/index.htm

Voluntary Manufacturer Takeback:

http://www.pprc.org/pubs/epr/takeback.cfm