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"Product stewardship is a policy that ensures that all those involved in the lifecycle of a product share responsibility for reducing its health and environmental impacts, with producers bearing primary financial responsibility. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a central tenet of product stewardship, is a policy approach in which the producer’s responsibility for their product extends to the post-consumer management of that product and its packaging." Product Stewardship Institute, website. Product Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are often used to describe a management system for products that includes stakeholders involved in creating, using, and disposing of a product. Consumer products commonly targeted for this system are usually those that are being recycled or disposed by communities using taxpayer dollars. Examples include out-dated, unused, or broken electronics; mercury containing products; unwanted medicines; plastic packaging; carpeting and more. These products are a financial burden and environmental concern if they are mishandled due to their volume (high cost of disposal resulting in illegal dumping and litter) or hazardous components as is the case of disposed electronics, unwanted medicines and mercury-containing products. Through product stewardship, product designers, manufacturers, and retailers have the ability to increase the product or packaging reuse and recyclability as well as reduce volume and toxicity of products. They are engaged in developing economic, efficientm and safe management systems. The Michigan Recycling Coalition received a Community Pollution Prevention Grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in the Fall of 2011 to raise public awareness of product stewardship potential for three product categories: consumer electronics, unwanted medicines and plastic packaging. Part of this two year grant includes free Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) membership for local Michigan entities responsible for the collection and recycling or disposal of consumer electronics, residential unwanted medicine and plastic packaging. If you operate such a collection or recycling program in Michigan, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it via e-mail or by phone at (517) 614-6439 to ensure your membership. As a member of PSI, you have access to members-only webinars on various products. Webinars include topical speakers as well as opportunities to share information about what has been successful in other states to relieve the financial burden on local collection programs. |
PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP RESOURCESMRC Principles for Product Stewardship, adopted October 2010 Product Policy Institute and link to EPR Model Ordinances U.S. EPA Product Stewardship Webpage Other Product Stewardship Initiatives Clothing and Textiles, Council for Textile Recycling Telephone Directories, National Yellow Pages Opt-out Program
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