Product Stewardship Institute Inc

PSI'S MISSION IS TO SAFEGUARD THE WELFARE OF PEOPLE AND THE PLANET BY MINIMIZING THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING ACROSS THEIR LIFECYCLE. PSI CONVENES KEY STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS COLLABORATIVELY WITH A FOCUS ON PRODUCERS ASSUMING PRIMARY FINANCIAL AND MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR REUSING, RECYCLING, AND SAFELY MANAGING THE PRODUCTS THEY CREATE. PSI IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADER WITH EXPERIENCE IN 25 PRODUCT CATEGORIES THAT COMPRISE THE WASTE STREAM, INCLUDING PACKAGING, PLASTICS, CARPET, MATTRESSES, BATTERIES, ELECTRONICS, SOLAR PANELS, HHW PRODUCTS, TEXTILES, PHARMACEUTICALS, SHARPS, AND PAINT. WITH A ROBUST MEMBERSHIP BASE OF 47 STATE GOVERNMENTS AND HUNDREDS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AS WELL AS PARTNERSHIPS WITH OVER 100 COMPANIES, ORGANIZATIONS, UNIVERSITIES, AND NON-U.S. GOVERNMENTS, PSI FORGES CONSENSUS AROUND SOLUTIONS THAT WORK FOR BOTH BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

PACKAGING: IN FY21, PSI CONTINUED OUR NATIONAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN-THE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVE-TO ADVANCE AND PROMOTE PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP SYSTEMS FOR PACKAGING RECOVERY AND RECYCLING. THESE ACTIVITIES SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PACKAGING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES IN NEARLY A DOZEN STATES AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, AS WELL AS THE PASSAGE OF THE FIRST TWO PACKAGING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY LAWS IN MAINE AND OREGON. THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED THOSE DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS. PSI AND THE FLEXIBLE PACKAGING ASSOCIATION (FPA) FINALIZED AND RELEASED ITS AGREEMENT ON EIGHT ELEMENTS OF AN EPR PROGRAM FOR PACKAGING AND PAPER PRODUCTS (PPP) THAT INCLUDES FLEXIBLES. THE AGREEMENT WAS THE CULMINATION OF A NATIONAL MULTI-MEETING DIALOGUE ON PACKAGING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY AMONG FPA AND PSI MEMBERS. THE AGREEMENT HAS FORMED THE BASIS FOR EPR FOR PPP DISCUSSIONS IN NUMEROUS STATES WHERE PSI IS WORKING WITH ITS STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEMBERS AND HAS ENABLED INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT PACKAGING EPR PROPOSALS IN SOME STATES. PSI EXPANDED OUR ONLINE TOOLKIT FEATURING EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ON PACKAGING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM KEY STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT EPR FOR PPP AND TO HELP THEM EDUCATE OTHERS IN TURN. NEW MATERIALS INCLUDED AN UPDATED VERSION OF PSI'S MARCH 2020 REPORT, "EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY FOR PACKAGING AND PAPER PRODUCTS (EPR FOR PPP)," AND TWO GRAPHICS, ONE WHICH DEPICTS THE FLOW OF MATERIALS AND MONEY IN AN EPR FOR PPP SYSTEM AND THE OTHER WHICH DEPICTS THE BENEFITS TO VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN AN EPR SYSTEM. THESE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN USED BY PSI MEMBERS AND PARTNERS NATIONWIDE TO INFORM POLICY AND TO EDUCATE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. PSI EDUCATED MORE THAN 4,300 PROFESSIONALS FROM THE GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE, AND NONPROFIT SECTORS AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH 10 WEBINARS ON PACKAGING EPR PROGRAMS. EIGHT OF THE WEBINARS WERE PART OF PSI'S GLOBAL SERIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ALLIANCE (EXPRA) WHICH FEATURED BEST PRACTICES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. TWO WERE FOCUSED NATIONALLY, THE FIRST ON POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON THE WASTE SECTOR IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE OTHER ON EMERGING MODELS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NEW ENGLAND WASTE MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION AND THE NORTHEAST RECYCLING COUNCIL. PSI'S POLICY EXPERTS ALSO PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND FACILITATED POLICY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO KEY INFLUENCERS AND DECISION-MAKERS REPRESENTING GOVERNMENT, THE WASTE AND RECYCLING INDUSTRY, PACKAGING BRAND OWNERS, AND PRODUCER ASSOCIATIONS. THESE CONVERSATIONS EXTENDED TO THE U.S. PLASTICS PACT, LEGISLATORS WORKING AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS TO INTRODUCE THE BREAK FREE FROM PLASTIC POLLUTION ACT AND OTHER PACKAGING EPR BILLS, AND THE MEDIA. PSI WAS QUOTED OR MENTIONED IN 25 ARTICLES ABOUT EPR IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, MOST OF THEM FOCUSED ON THE EMERGENCE IN THE U.S. OF PACKAGING EPR.

PAINT: IN 2021, PSI CONTINUED TO EDUCATE KEY STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ABOUT THE PAINTCARE PROGRAM, AN INDUSTRY-RUN STEWARDSHIP ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE FOR RECYCLING PAINT IN 10 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE PAINTCARE PROGRAM IS BASED ON A MODEL PSI MEDIATED MORE THAN A DECADE AGO THROUGH A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER, CONSENSUS-BASED PROCESS WITH GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS. IN 2021, PSI CONDUCTED EDUCATION ON THE PAINTCARE PROGRAM MOSTLY IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS. PSI ALSO CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS NATIONALLY ABOUT EXPANDING THE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE AEROSOL PAINTS, WHICH HAVE BECOME MORE PREVALENT SINCE THE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2010. ADDITIONALLY, PSI CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL PAINT RECYCLING ASSOCIATION (IPRA), A FIRST OF ITS KIND ALLIANCE OF NORTH AMERICAN RECYCLED PAINT MANUFACTURERS THAT PSI CONCEIVED OF AND HELPED ESTABLISH TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE HIGH-QUALITY AND RELIABILITY OF RECYCLED PAINT, INCREASE GOVERNMENT AND CONSUMER DEMAND, AND EXPAND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECYCLED PAINT.

ALL OTHER PROGRAMS: PSI PROVIDED EDUCATION, RESEARCH, POLICY ANALYSIS, POLICY DEVELOPMENT, AND FACILITATION OR MEDIATION SERVICES TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC ON SOLAR PANELS, BATTERIES, ELECTRONICS, CARPET, MATTRESSES, HHW, PESTICIDES, MERCURY-CONTAINING LIGHTS, PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL SHARPS, TIRES, AND OTHER PRODUCTS. OUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO NIAGARA COUNTY, NEW YORK RESULTED IN PASSAGE OF THE SECOND EPR LAW ON SOLAR PANELS IN THE U.S. (THE FIRST AT A LOCAL LEVEL). PSI ALSO HELPED ESTABLISH A NEW PHARMACEUTICALS EPR PROGRAM IN MAINE AND CELEBRATED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST ALL-BATTERY EPR LAW IN THE U.S. IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WHICH PSI HELPED TO DEVELOP THROUGH TECHNICAL SUPPORT. PSI ALSO HELD A TWO-DAY SYMPOSIUM ON CARPET RECYCLING AND EPR THAT ATTRACTED OVER 200 REGISTRANTS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, PSI GAVE EXPERT TESTIMONY AT HEARINGS FOR EPR LEGISLATION IN 14 STATES, GAVE PRESENTATIONS ABOUT U.S. EPR AND PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS AT 34 CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS; PRODUCED A TOTAL OF 11 WEBINARS THAT ATTRACTED OVER 4,600 REGISTRANTS; WAS MENTIONED OR QUOTED IN THE MEDIA OVER 25 TIMES, AND FACILITATED MORE THAN 50 MEETINGS OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP COUNCILS AND WORKGROUPS IN ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, AND VERMONT, AS WELL AS PROVIDED TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO PSI'S 500 MEMBER AND PARTNER AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMPANIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. ON A WIDE ARRAY OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP ISSUES.