The Road to Sustainability: The Response Able Route
To make recycling systems sustainable, all stakeholders must share in
the responsibility. Along with sharing responsibility comes the costs associated
with that responsibility. How do you know when and what you should be responsible
for in the recycling system? In practice it is fairly simple. You are response
able when you are the person in control of the product.
In the case of packaging, a manufacturer of packaging materials accepts
the responsibility for making packaging which minimizes the environmental
aspects of its package. To do so the manufacturer must consider the life
cycle of the package and then take responsibility for the real costs associated
with managing the environmental aspects within his or her sphere of control.
But the producer cannot be held directly and solely responsible for the
environmental impacts of the product once it has left his or her control.
For example, Consumers Glass is response able for glass when the
glass container is in their part of the supply chain as shown below. Their
circle of control includes employees, operations and vendor relationships.
Outside their circle of control Consumers Glass can only influence other
stakeholders. Consumers Glass cannot demand that other stakeholders act
in a sustainable manner, or dictate what other stakeholders must do to close
the loop.
Closing the loop is important. A truly sustainable recycling system
is only going to be possible when all the stakeholders work together
with responsibility as one of the system conditions. The system will only
be successful when the weakest links are identified and their barriers are
removed.
The Glass Supply Chain:
Packaging Stewardship Roles & Responsibilities
The system is only as strong as its weakest link. What will
you do to make this work? Click on the word which best describes your role.
Consumers Glass
- minimize use of energy & resources
- limit emissions to air, land & water
- provide impact data to users of products
- work with others to optimize operations towards minimizing environmental
impacts & costs
- inform/educate others on integrated resource management
- pay the costs of managing their production wastes
Importers
- minimize environmental impacts in distribution activities
- become informed of environmental impacts of products
- ensure products have been made in an environmentally sound way
- pay the costs of managing their production wastes
Brand Owners
- minimize use of energy & resources
- limit emissions to air, land & water
- to provide the consumer with choices
- ensure products are designed to conserve resources & suitable for
management
- specify use of recycled content where environmentally sound and economically
viable
- provide information to the consumer on source reduction, integrated
waste management, etc.
- pay the costs of managing their production wastes
Retailers
- minimize use of energy & resources
- limit emissions to air, land & water
- specify recycled content where economically and environmentally sound
- work with brand owner to provide information on:
- source reduction
- integrated waste management
- economic and environmental sustainability
Federal/Provincial Government
- set performance standards to minimize environmental impacts
- work with participants to provide information to the consumer on:
- source reduction initiatives/benefits
- integrated waste management
- economic and environmental sustainability
Special Interest Groups
- monitor environmental impacts performance & encourage accountability
in the system
- work with all participants to address issues/needs.
- to inform society on:
- source reduction
- integrated waste management
- economic and environmental sustainability
Householders
- to make purchase choices that make more efficient use of resources
- become informed on the social benefits of products & costs for
their management
- participate in & implement the development of waste management
programs
- pay for the appropriate programs to manage their wastes
- hold accountable those managing wastes to be cost effective and efficient
& to minimize environmental impact
Students
- participate as householders in the Circle of Influence; they are also
catalysts for change
- apply their knowledge to finding creative and innovative solutions
Recycling Operators and Municipal/Regional Government
- operate an effective/efficient infrastructure to manage discarded products
that is economically and environmentally justifiable including:
- an integrated approach to waste management
- a waste management system which is fully costed & visible to the
user
- a charge to users for the services; such fees to be dedicated solely
to support the waste management infrastructure
- seeks means to improve cost effectiveness & efficiency of its infrastructure
Recycled Glass Processors
- minimize use of energy & resources
- limit emissions to air, land & water
- provide data to users of products
- work with others in product design to conserve resources & minimize
environmental impact
- pay the costs of managing their production wastes
In this issue:
Glass Works is a publication of Consumers
Glass
Copyright © 1997 Glass Works