On March 31, the Environmental Council of the States wrote a letter to the Chair of the U.S. House Appropriations Interior & Environment Subcommittee to outline principles that should be incorporated in any federal legislation promoting lifecycle product stewardship.

The letter points out ECOS has long endorsed product stewardship as a way of minimizing health, safety, environmental, and social impacts, and maximizing economic benefits of a product and its packaging throughout all lifecycle stages.

A policy resolution by ECOS also defines extended producer responsibility as a mandatory type of product stewardship that includes, at a minimum, the requirement that the producer’s responsibility for its product extends to post-consumer management of that product and its packaging; and endorses principles for extended producer responsibility.

The resolution endorses the following principles of EPR that should be considered in any legislation:

-- Producer responsibility;

-- Level playing field;

-- Results-based;

-- Transparency and accountability; and

-- Roles for government, retailers, and consumers.

Click Here for a copy of the policy statement.

ECOS also has a Sustainable Materials Management Workgroup which addresses product stewardship and other policy issues.

“If implemented well,” writes ECOS Executive Director Don Welsh, “EPR and product stewardship policies would encourage producers to plan for the entire lifecycle of a product and promote increased investment in recycling infrastructure nationwide.”

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell serves as President of ECOS.

Visit the Environmental Council of the States website to learn more about programs, initiatives, upcoming events and more.

[Posted: April 2, 2021]

4/5/2021