Focus on Producer Responsibility Continues to Grow
As corporate responsibility moves further back up the product life cycle across various industries and waste streams, the momentum behind Product Stewardship solutions is growing. Australia now has the Product Stewardship Act and is about to see the first batch of regulations finalised specifically targeting the television and computer industries.
Many stakeholders have promised much on paper, and the National Waste Policy is providing the framework to operationalize the intent. While ewaste continues to attract the most attention when discussing extended producer responsibility and Product Stewardship, there are several other sectors caught up in the debate and action on how Australia can better manage the post-consumer fate of many product types, from packaging and tyres, through to mobile phones and batteries.
As part of the continuing program of discussion, analysis, knowledge sharing and dissent, a dedicated forum on Product Stewardship and Innovation in Resource Recovery, is being held at this year’s Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo on 10 and 11 November in Sydney. Sponsored by MobileMuster, the afternoon session will cover international and local Product Stewardship initiatives through various industry and Government speakers.
A panel of Product Stewardship practitioners and policy makers is likely to generate some lively debate about the pros and cons of current activity, as well as how the Product Stewardship Act might play out in sectors beyond ewaste.
John Gertsakis, Senior Sustainability Associate with the Digital Solutions team at WSP Environment & Energy, will be speaking at the Expo and will share his observations on the National Television and Computer Product Stewardship Scheme, and its likely pathway over the coming months. After several years as an industry advocate working on behalf of the consumer electronics sector, John will talk about intent versus reality, and the importance of the Australian Government meeting community expectations and maintaining a vigilant eye on the core principles of Product Stewardship and producer responsibility.
For more information about the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo and the Product Stewardship and Innovation in Resource Recovery forum, see the event website.
For more information about WSP’s Product and Service Sustainability Solutions read more here, or contact John Gertsakis directly: john.gertsakis@wspgroup.com
