Over the past decade, as the economy surged, waste has grown in toxicity as well as volume. As state and municipal governments struggle to deal with the technical aspects of disposing of an ever-increasing array of consumer products, it has become clear that taxpayer-funded government programs cannot bear the full responsibility for protecting the public and the environment.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and its state and local government Coalition Members have engaged manufacturers, retailers, and others to develop agreements that aim to reduce the health and environmental impacts posed by consumer products. The goal of these dialogues is to develop a sustainable financing system that makes it possible to reach increased levels of collection, reuse, and recycling, as well as to redesign products so that they no longer pose the same risks in the future. These general concepts are outlined in a set of Principles of Product Stewardship, recently developed by PSI's Coalition Members. Currently, PSI is coordinating over 20 states and over a dozen local agencies in negotiations with the electronics industry as part of a national dialogue. PSI will next work on paint products, and is seriously considering pesticides and mercury-containing products, among other categories.

This seminar will cover developments in "product stewardship" in the United States and explore the role of government agencies, industry, consumers, and non-governmental organizations in the rise of interest in corporate responsibility.