In honor of its 15th anniversary, the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) hosted the 2015 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum, December 8-9th in Boston, Massachusetts. Environmental experts from around the United 聽States, Germany, Belgium, and Canada discussed issues regarding zero 聽waste, extended producer responsibility (EPR), product stewardship, and 聽the circular economy.
Conference Speakers included:
- Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-25) announced the upcoming 聽introduction of the Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act, a federal bill that 聽would require pharmaceutical companies to manage and finance the safe 聽collection and disposal of their products.
- Stewardship 聽organizations representing brand owners of packaging from Quebec, 聽British Columbia, and Belgium outlined the success of their EPR programs 聽and how these models can be easily applied to the U.S. market.
- U.S. 聽Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding 聽discussed the connection between climate change and the need to reuse 聽and recycle consumer products.
Additional conference panels and keynote speakers focused on product-specific issues, including:
- Pharmaceutical take-back programs as a means to address the U.S. prescription drug abuse epidemic;
- Emerging solutions to address the growing cost of safely managing electronics scrap;
- The 聽importance of recycling batteries, electronics, and other products 聽containing rare earth metals, and how this propels us toward a 聽circular economy that reduces the costs and impacts of future 聽mining; and
- Why 聽the U.S. is at a competitive disadvantage to other countries that 聽require brand owners to properly manage the packaging they produce.
Recognized Environmental Stewards in Industry and Government are:
PSI 聽recognized key individual, agency, and company leaders who have 聽achieved significant success in moving product stewardship programs and 聽polices forward. This year’s awardees include:
- 2015 Outstanding Industry Leadership Award: Alison Keane, American Coatings Association
- 2015 Outstanding Industry Leadership Award: Marjaneh Zarrehparvar, PaintCare
- 2015 Outstanding Industry Leadership Award: Mark Buckley, Staples
- 2015 Outstanding Industry Leadership Award: John Waffenschmidt, Covanta
- 2015 聽“豆包成人版town Hero” Award for Outstanding Local Government Leadership: 聽Jennifer Holliday, Chittenden County Solid 豆包成人版 District, VT
- 2015 聽Outstanding State Government Leadership Award: Tom Metzner and Sherrill 聽Baldwin, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- 2015 Outstanding State Government Leadership Award: Fenton Rood, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
- 2015 Loyal Steward Award: Scott Klag, Metro Regional Government, Oregon
- 2015 “Gandalf” Award for Exceptional Guidance and Advising: Dave Galvin, King County, Washington
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