GlobalPSC News – June 2019
Greetings from Paris!
The GlobalPSC is out in force this week in Paris for our second International Stewardship Forum. We’ve got GlobalPSC members from 8 of the 10 countries in which our members are based and a majority of the GlobalPSC Board (a record, considering their geographically diverse coverage) attending the Paris Forum.
The Paris Forum program is packed, with international experts in extended producer responsibility (EPR), circular economy, product stewardship, sustainability and recycling from at least 17 countries represented.
To deliver the Paris Forum, the GlobalPSC has collaborated with DASTRI, the French producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for sharps, and we’re honoured to have the support of the French Ministry for Health, French Ministry for Environment and a diverse range of sponsors representing key stakeholders and product types.
Last chance to register – final spaces are limited
We’ll be sharing the outcomes from the Forum through a variety of means, with GlobalPSC members having earlier access and greater detail available, so keep an eye out.
Transboundary Movement of Plastic Waste under Basel Convention
The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP14) decided recently to change control of transboundary movements of plastic waste via Annexes to the Basel Convention. The amendments require prior informed consent from the destination country before “unclean plastic wastes” are exported. The scope of clean plastic wastes that are appropriate for recycling has also been amended.
COP14 also agreed to establish a new working group to revise the Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of Plastic Wastes, intending that discussions on the revisions will take place in 2020.
New GlobalPSC Podcast on Solar Products and Banning WEEE from Landfill
From 1 July, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) is banned from landfill in the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria is also leading efforts to address the growing stream of solar products that contain hazardous and expensive elements. An estimated 100,000 tonnes of solar products are expected to enter the Australian waste stream in 2035.
In Episode 3 of the GlobalPSC Podcast, GlobalPSC CEO Russ Martin discusses Victoria’s landfill ban and efforts to develop a product stewardship approach for solar products with Michael Dudley, Strategic Lead on Product Stewardship for Sustainability Victoria, a GlobalPSC Government Member. We also discuss the value of trialling product stewardship approaches prior to their implementation.
The GlobalPSC Podcast is brought to you by the Global Product Stewardship Council and our members.
GlobalPSC Corporate Member – Paintback
Paintback® is taking unwanted paint and packaging’s colourful past to a brighter future of responsible disposal and innovative reuse. As a voluntary product stewardship scheme that has operated in all States and Territories of Australia from day one, it is a world-first initiative designed to keep unwanted paint out of landfill and away from vital waterways.
Most importantly, Paintback is driven by the Australian paint industry – by the major companies that supply around 95% of all the architectural and decorative (A&D) paint sold in Australia. DuluxGroup, Haymes Paint, PPG, Resene and Valspar are the founding members.
These companies have collaborated with Commonwealth, State and Local governments to provide a nationally consistent collection service for households and commercial painters. Paintback repurposes valuable materials into recycled packaging, alternative energy and industrial processes, and is funding research to find better uses for unwanted paint.
Established in 2016, Paintback has been recognised by the Australian Business Awards, Sustainability Category for 2017.
For more information, go to www.paintback.com.au.
Events Calendar
2-3 July 2019 – Paris Forum 2019, International Stewardship Forum. Paris, France. En Français.
11 July 2019 – Sustainable Packaging Investment Summit. London, UK.
7-9 October 2019 – The 29th ISWA World Congress. Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall, Bilbao, Spain.
5-7 November 2019 – Conference on Canadian Stewardship. Parq Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada.
26-28 November 2019 – International Recycling Forum. Wiesbaden, Germany.
10-11 December 2019 – Plastic: Design for Sustainability. Berlin, Germany.
