Summer 1997 | Table of Contents

Who's Responsible?

What are we going to do to reach this goal in a sustainable manner?

When will we be able to get those responsible to move in a coordinated manner?

Where are the remaining barriers to sustainability?

How are we going to ensure that when you are in control of the material you are response able?

These are the proverbial $1,000,000 questions. Two forums have been held recently to enable stakeholders with diverse interests the chance to tackle remaining barriers.

March 1997:
Recycling Council of Ontario's "Who's Responsible?"

Stakeholders agreed to work on the following four key points:

Short-Term & Long-Term Goals

First and foremost appears to be the plight of the municipal recycling programs which are liable to become victims of the short-term, bottom line realities that waste management officials are faced with. While prompt decisive action is required to prevent action contrary to the public interest, band aid solutions will not sustain these programs.

Definitions

Definitions have already been developed by the National Task Force on Packaging and adopted by the CCME which we referred to on page 1.

Backdrop Legislation and Level Playing Field

The regulations must be applicable to all the stakeholders as appropriate and they must be cognizant of the realities of a global market economy.

Communication Strategy

Communication must be clear and factual. Cost and financing information must be available to all stakeholders. Public education is a key element to supporting stewardship.

May 1997:
Environment Canada's National Workshop

The purpose of this gathering was to raise awareness in Canadian stakeholders on:

• Product Stewardship
• User-Producer Responsibility
• Extended Producer Responsibility concepts and policy approaches

The results will be used to provide Canada's input in the forthcoming series of Extended Producer Responsibility workshops coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Two key issues were addressed with multi-stakeholder participation:

• The responsibilities of the Public and Private sectors
• The definition of "Producers" within a Product's Life Cycle

While the interests of the group were diverse, there was strong unified support in the following areas:

• Principles of Responsibility: each "actor" in the supply chain has economic and environmental responsibility for the part they have direct control over
• The efficient use of resources and reduction in waste disposal were desired outcomes
• Efficient incentives are required for the various stakeholders:
  • For manufacturers these are needed to reduce environment impacts associated with the management of their products
  • For consumers (as individuals and organizations) these are needed to reduce the environmental impacts of their purchasing and encourage behaviours to reduce waste

There was also support for mechanisms that will:

• Shift the cost of waste management off the taxpayer to the user
• Support integrated waste management
• Foster life cycle approaches
• Educate the consumer thus reinforcing market signals to support more stewardship behaviour

The elements of Packaging Stewardship presented in this issue of Glass Works were shared at the National Workshop. They received broad support from industry including material suppliers, packaging converters, brand owners, product producers and wholesalers and retailers.

These kind of forums are important. They lay the foundation that will sustainably support closing the loop as we move into the next millennium.

In this issue:

• Packaging Stewardship ...
• The Road to Sustainability: The Response Able Route
• Who's Responsible?
• Reaching for Sustainability: A Proposal for a National Stewardship Model
• Doug's Page: Recycled Content -- A Sustainable Goal

Glass Works is a publication of Consumers Glass

Copyright © 1997 Glass Works