HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE

2023 U.S. PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP FORUM

Earlier this month, over 200 globally recognized experts gathered in Portland, Oregon for PSI's 12th U.S. Product Stewardship Forum. Speakers presented throughout two days of intensive sessions on a wide range of topics covering the most important trends in producer responsibility policy and programs. Head to our blog to see quotes from the top sessions, read about key takeaways from the discussions, and view photos from the event. Check out the blog.

In September, the Product Stewardship Institute, along with an international consortium of organizations across four continents, published a report proposing a new policy approach that accelerates the transition towards a circular economy. The new approach will complement existing approaches to Extended Producer Responsibility by internalizing a greater range of economic, environmental, and social product impacts, and introduces targets to measure a reduction in virgin material use.



Reducing Resource Extraction and Use: Producer Responsibility for the Circular Economy is now available to PSI Members and Partners in the Resource Library. 

PERSPECTIVES ON PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP:

Navigating an extended producer

responsibility path to a circular economy

by Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder of PSI

If you are a PSI Member or Partner,

contact [email protected] for 30% discount.

Four years in the making, the book that PSI’s CEO and Founder, Scott Cassel, has written on EPR and product stewardship is now in print and available!

The book covers Scott’s personal journey in the recycling field from volunteer to government official and to the creation of PSI. It provides his perspective on why a change to the US recycling system was desperately needed and how PSI and numerous others translated policy concepts into EPR laws. It also contains the process that PSI uses to create effective EPR laws through collaborative stakeholder engagement.

Scott discusses the first two decades of the EPR movement in the U.S., where we are now in the journey, and expected trends for the future. It outlines the basic principles of product stewardship and EPR, along with the roles played by each stakeholder group. And it traces the origin of the concept of responsibility, how it was incorporated into the environmental and EPR movements, and the reaction to it by corporations and others. The book also covers the major EPR laws developed in Europe and Canada that have provided the foundation for EPR laws in the U.S. It references many of the 25 product categories on which PSI works, with three in-depth case studies—on paint, batteries, and packaging.  

This book is a must-read for all EPR professionals!

GreenDot is a full-circle EPR management and recycling solutions provider in the U.S. The comapny's approach is founded on 30+ years of experience, a passion for measurable change, and tailored problem-solving. They understand there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. That’s why they work with the entire plastics value chain to design and manage EPR programs that benefit everyone involved — both companies and communities.   

Together with brand and retail partners, GreenDot is driving measurable advancement in the circular economy for plastics. Visit green-dot.us to learn how they can help your company turn EPR into opportunity. 

Accerio, a PSI partner and Forum Sponsor, Pack Green Coalition, a PSI partner, and the Northwest Product Stewardship Council all featured highlights from the PSI Forum in their recent newsletters. 

Plastics News (paywalled) just published a detailed article about the "Perspectives on Plastics Recycling and EPR: Mechanical and Chemical” session from the 2023 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum. The piece quotes all of the session’s participants and highlights key elements of the discussion. 

Following the announcement of the English version premier of Unwrapping at the 2023 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum, Geneviève Dionne, one of the creators of the documentary and the director of eco-design and circular economy at Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), was interviewed by Plastics News (paywalled) on the film and its message.  

October 10, Bend, OR – Suna Bayrakal, PSI’s Director of Policy and Programs, will co-present with Metro at the 2023 Association of Oregon Recyclers Sustainable Oregon Conference. Register here. 

October 10, Minneapolis, MN – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will speak at a workshop on packaging EPR at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) Fall Meeting. This event is a follow-up to a July 13 EPR webinar convened by MWMA. Register here. 

October 12, Minneapolis, MN – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present at the Minnesota Association of Recycling Managers (ARM) Annual Workshop. Register here. 

October 17, Boston, MA – Scott Cassel, PSI’s CEO and Founder, will present on Packaging EPR Global Trends at PSX 2023. Register here.

House Democrats are urging the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to adopt a mandatory disclosure rule as an effort to confront greenwashing. Read more.

In September, REDUCE Act was reintroduced by federal lawmakers. The act, which is similar to a bill introduced in 2021, would establish a tax on virgin plastics used to produce single use packaging, including food service products and beverage containers. Read more.  

California's right-to-repair bill for electronics and the update to California's deposit return system bill are on Governor Newsom's desk. Read more. 

Dawn Timm, chair of the New York Product Stewardship Council, spoke about New York recycling rates and the potential for improvement if the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Bill were enacted into law. Read more.



A review of Oliver Franklin-Wallis’s Wasteland highlights extended producer responsibility as a solution to facing our waste problem. Read more.

CalRecycle is accepting public comments on CARE’s Differential Assessments Plan Amendment. Submit comments to [email protected] by October 6, 2023. 

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The Product Stewardship Institute is a policy advocate and consulting 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers the emerging circular economy. We rely on the generosity of our members, partners, and supporters to convene diverse stakeholders to build extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies, programs, and laws. Thank you!

The Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Persons with disabilities who require alternatively formatted materials to ensure effective communication should contact Amanda Nicholson at [email protected] or 617.236.4855.