News & Events

GlobalPSC News – October 2014

Recycling in a Global Economy GlobalPSC TES-AMM Thought Leadership Forum

The Global Product Stewardship Council and GlobalPSC members TES-AMM, Dell, TechCollect and SERI staged a thought leadership forum earlier this week in Sydney featuring Adam Minter, the author of best-selling book Junkyard Planet. Adam’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion with Adam and other international experts.

We were also very pleased to announce a collaboration between the GlobalPSC and the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at the University of New South Wales (SMaRT Centre). In conjunction with Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of the SMaRT Centre,  GlobalPSC CEO Russ Martin announced that the GlobalPSC and its members will assist the SMaRT Centre in ensuring that their cutting-edge R&D has direct applicability to product stewardship and recycling. In exchange, the SMaRT Centre will share research findings with the GlobalPSC and its members through special workshops and forums, and provide direct opportunities for input.

(L-R: John Gertsakis, Chief Sustainability Officer of Infoactiv Group; John Lingelbach, Executive Director of SERI; Anna Minns, General Manager of TerraCycle Australia & New Zealand; Russ Martin, CEO of the GlobalPSC;  Adam Minter, journalist and author of Junkyard Planet; Dr Helen Lewis, Principal of Helen Lewis Research and Australian Battery Recycling Initiative Chief Executive; Justin O’Sullivan, Executive Director – Sales Operations of Dell Australia; and Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of the SMaRT Centre)

Questions addressed by Adam and the panel included:

• How is economic growth in China driving demand for recycled materials?
• How does the global trade in recyclable materials affect recycling in countries like the US and Australia?
• How can we ensure responsible recycling practices, particularly for e-waste and plastics?
• How do changing economic conditions both help and hurt recycling and reuse, especially for electronics?
• What role will the informal sector play in the future of recycling?
• What are the implications of global material flows for product stewardship?
• What are incentives and drivers for incorporating Design for Environment and the circular economy in product stewardship?

Adam’s presentation will be made available to GlobalPSC members via our private Youtube channel and other materials from the forum will progressively be made available more broadly.

 

Webinar – Battery Stewardship Developments in the U.S. A Joint Government and Industry Regulatory Solution for Single Use + Rechargeable Batteries 

The United States is on the verge of breakthrough legislation for both primary (single-use) and rechargeable batteries. This shift from a voluntary approach to a regulatory approach covering both battery types has coalesced over the past six months, as an increasing number of government agencies have expressed interest in a legislative solution to household battery management. This webinar will discuss the unique differences between the single-use and rechargeable battery industries, key issues that are being addressed to find a unified legislation solution, explore lessons for other countries such as Australia (where consultation is underway on a national battery stewardship scheme), and outstanding challenges faced by US state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, and other key stakeholders in the year ahead.

For more details, click here.

 

British Columbia Recycles its 15 Billionth Beverage Container at Encorp Pacific’s 20th Anniversary Event

British Columbia – The Hon. Mary Polak, M.L.A., Minister of Environment was recently on hand at the Queensborough Landing Return-It Depot in New Westminster to recycle British Columbia’s 15 billionth beverage container.

(L-R: British Columbia Minister of Environment Mary Polak with Scott Fraser, President & CEO of Encorp Pacific, recycling the province’s 15 billionth beverage container at the Queensborough Landing Return-It Depot in New Westminster.)

“This is a British Columbia success story about what can happen when we all work together for the greater good of the environment,” says Mary Polak, Minister of Environment. “A big congratulations to Encorp Pacific for the progress they’ve made, and to all British Columbians who have helped reach this milestone.”

“British Columbia is a North American leader when it comes to creating industry-led extended producer programs and Encorp Pacific is helping lead the way,” continued Minister Polak. “What a remarkable achievement for our province where 15 billion beverage containers have now been recycled.”

This event marked Encorp Pacific’s 20th anniversary as a not-for-profit product stewardship corporation with beverage container management as its core business.

“The success of our system for recycling beverage containers proves that millions of small acts can add up to a big win for the environment,” says Scott Fraser, President and CEO of Encorp Pacific. “Even with this extensive system though, British Columbia would not have one of the highest recycling rates in North America without consumers making the decision to do the right thing for the environment. British Columbians deserve a pat on the back for making a difference.”

See more here.

 

eWasteNZ Preliminary Report and Stakeholder Summary Available 

The first stakeholder workshop for the #eWasteNZ project was held 19 September 2014 in Auckland. Participants included 45 diverse stakeholders, plus the e-waste project team and representatives from the New Zealand Ministry for Environment (MfE). A high level summary of the workshop discussions and outcomes is now available.

The #eWasteNZ project is being delivered through a partnership of companies, led and managed by SLR Consulting, with MS2 as technical lead and supported by Synergine and Equilibrium. MS2 is a Foundation Member of the GlobalPSC and Director Russ Martin also serves as our CEO.

For further project details, email ewasteNZ@slrconsulting.com.

 

Reciprocal Discounts on PSI and GlobalPSC Memberships 

The Product Stewardship Institute and Global Product Stewardship Council are offering 15% reciprocal membership discounts off the first year of membership. Current PSI partners receive a 15% discount off the appropriate GlobalPSC membership category and current GlobalPSC members are eligible for a 15% discount when joining PSI. The discounts will be applied when memberships are first applied for. Several members have already taken advantage of this opportunity to increase their knowledge of product stewardship and expand their network of contacts, all while saving money.

Those who are members/partners of both GlobalPSC and PSI have access to a diverse stakeholder group both within the U.S. and around the world that is directly active on product stewardship, and will have more opportunities to network and develop business opportunities within the product stewardship movement. Members/partners are also kept informed of the latest developments in the product stewardship movement in the though news updates, listservs, webinars, monthly calls and special events in addition to a full range of social media sources.

Email russ@globalpsc.net or rachel@productstewardship.us to take advantage of this offer. Considering joining both at the same time? We’ll help make sure the discounts apply to both memberships.

 

New GlobalPSC Members and Member Profiles

• Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) (Australia)
• Encorp Pacific (Canada)
• Community Recycling Network (CRN) (Australia)

Member profiles and program updates are available here.

 

Events Update

The Global Product Stewardship Council is presenting at or participating in the following events:

• CEO & Business Leaders Summit, 20 November 2014 in Sydney, Australia
• Product Stewardship & Wealth from Waste Conference, 26-28 November 2014 in Sydney, Australia
• Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum, 25-26 February 2015 in Brussels, Belgium

At these events, we will be promoting the involvement of GlobalPSC members and our activities.

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