Article Four – Product Stewardship In Your Business
Every year we send around 2.5 million tonnes of waste to landfill which equates to over a tonne of rubbish per household. This throw away culture is bad for the environment and is costing millions of dollars every year, Product Stewardship is a simple solution. Product Stewardship aims to reduce a product’s environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, a responsibility that is shared by the product’s producers, brand owners, importers, retailers and users.
What Is Product Stewardship? – Product stewardship is about businesses taking responsibility for the products they make, sell and buy so they’re not ending up in landfill. That means designing and making products to last, then putting systems in place to enable them to be reused and recycled when they are worn out.
Why Is Product Stewardship Important?
• Only 7.3% of the Earth’s resources that are being used are put back into use, the rest goes to waste.
• This is as a consequence of most people still contributing to a Linear Economy – we need to make the transition to a Circular Economy (see article two – April 2023 for more information).
• An increasing number of customers want businesses to provide goods that they can take back and re use.
• Government regulation is being introduced which means that six priority products will soon have compulsory product stewardship schemes.
• For more details see the Sustainable Business Network information sheet here.
What Are The Benefits To My Business?
Product Stewardship is good for your business and your customers because by taking on the responsibility for the environmental impacts of your products throughout their lifecycle your business can reduce waste and create value for everyone from staff to customers.
• Valuable resources can be recovered and re-used.
• Resources in products are kept in use for as long as possible.
• The resources in current products are recaptured to provide materials for new products at a later date. (Follow the link below to see some excellent case studies and success stories).
• Product Stewardship provides the foundation for the transition from a Linear Economy to a Circular Economy.
• A well manged Product Stewardship scheme may help you to generate brand loyalty.
Follow the links below for useful tips and resources to assist you on your sustainability journey:
• Product Stewardship tools, Resources and Case Studies here.
• Circular Economy Directory
• Got a tricky challenge to solve? Challenge Hub
Adapted from Sustainable Business Network – Product Stewardship In Your Business
