These slides provide a brief introduction to product stewardship and extended producer responsibility.

4. The average American throws away 1,600 pounds of trash each year That means by age 25 you’ve thrown away 40,000 pounds

5. Photo courtesy: George Hall By the time you’re 50 you’ve thrown away the 80,000 pounds – or the weight of a Boeing 737 And that’s just one person!

7. Unfortunately, the full impact of the products we buy is much larger than what we throw in our garbage can.

8. We can’t see the full impacts of the products we buy 1. Before we buy them 2. After we throw them away

9. Over 1/3 of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from products and packaging

10. Product stewardship means looking at the impact of a product: from the time it is raw materials until it is discarded Raw Materials Manufacturing Transportation Retail Use Disposal/Recycling

11. everyone has a role to play from those who make it to those who sell it to those who buy it Producers Distributers Retailers Consumers Waste Management Responsibility: To produce goods that are safe for their customers & the environment

13. everyone has a role to play from those who make it to those who sell it to those who buy it Producers Distributors Retailers Consumers Waste Management Retailers and other businesses have a unique ability to educate their customers and their suppliers about opportunities to reduce unintended environmental and health impacts from their products, and to help provide solutions for collection and recycling.