Understanding Safety & Product Stewardship: Global Business Partners in

Business & SHEQ Management

Paul A. Zoubek, CSP, CIHZoubek Consulting, LLCSan Diego, CA USASeptember 17, 2015paul@zoubekconsulting.com+1-619-677-8682

• My Experience • Work with electronics

recycler on EOHS Management Systems as required by their product stewardship certifying body

• Ensure components of their required management system structure are in compliance with both regulatory requirements & product stewards certification

Presentation Overview

• Define product stewardship• Internal:

• EOHS management systems • Focus in workplace safety & in house

environmental compliance• External:

• Focus on product life with minimal impact on the environment

• Programs• EPRP• Circular Economy• EPDs & HPDs

• Summary/Success

Presentation Overview

Product Stewardship Defined • Product-centered approach to environmental

protection• Known as extended product responsibility (EPR)• Manufacturers, retailers, users, and disposers—share

responsibility for reducing the environmental impacts of products

• To be competitive in a global market, you have to be able to demonstrate that your product has less impact environmentally

Definition

Product Stewardship Defined • Simple Example: Container

Deposit• A fee is paid to buy the bottle,

separately from the fee to buy what it contains

• If the bottle is returned, the fee is returned, and the supplier must return the bottle for re-use or recycling

• If the bottle is not returned, the collected fee can be used to pay for landfill or litter control measures

Definition

Product Stewardship Defined • Green Technology: Conserve the natural environment

and resources, and to curb the negative impacts of human involvement

• Sustainablity: Endurance of systems and processes• Stewardship: Understanding, controlling, and

communicating a product's environmental, health, and safety related effects throughout its life cycle

Definition

Product Stewardship Defined • Certification• Third party certification• Provide criteria for globally

responsible product production from cradle to grave

• Reduce environmental impacts• Operate in conformity with

international laws, potentially limiting the export of toxic waste from developed to developing countries

Definition

Product Stewardship Defined • Certifying Bodies (Examples):• Forest Stewardship Council• Tissue Product

Manufacturing• Guitar Manufacturing• Lumber Retail• Wood Product

Manufacturing• Publishing

• E-Stewards• Standard for Responsible

Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment

Definition

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Adherence to an EOHS Management System:

• Provide framework for ensuring that an organization manages risk and maximizes business value

• Examples• ISO 14001: Environmental Management System• OHSAS 18001: Occupational Health and Safety

Management Systems• ANSI Z10: Occupational Health & Safety

Management Systems

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems

• Typical components (in order) to an EOHS Management System:• Policy• Planning• Implementation & Operation• Checking• Management Review

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Policy Establishment

• Commitment to continual improvement & pollution prevention

• A commitment to comply with legal requirements

• Framework for set up and review of EOHS objectives and targets

• Documented, implemented and maintained

• Communicated organization members & public

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Planning

• Environmental & Workplace Safety Aspects• Determine aspect of operation that

will have impact on environment & workplace safety/health

• It must be specific to operations performed at a specific site or company

• Conduct Risk Assessment• Identify & Prioritize Risk

Assessment ResultsInternal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Planning (Example)

• An electronics recycler uses processes which involve crushing, shredding and pulverizing of metals from electronic components. The following needed to identified, evaluated & controlled:• Metal content of materials

(i.e.: Lead, Cadmium, etc.)• Workplace airborne dust

exposures (industrial hygiene data)

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Planning (Example)

• An electronics recycler • Workplace exposure controls

(ventilation)• Environmental controls (dust

control systems)• Facility controls (housekeeping,

cleaning of surfaces)• Materials shipping (container

type, destination)

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Implementation & Operation

• Make available all resources to establish & maintain EOHS management systems

• Competence, training, & awareness

• Participation & communication• Safety meetings• Communication of health &

safety information to workers• Establish & maintain safety

teamsInternal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Implementation & Operation

• Customer Relations: Provide or allow review of verifiable records• Wastes for final deposition• Equipment & components for re-

use

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Implementation & Operation

• Risk Reduction:• Did controls reduce risk?• How can risk be reduced to

acceptable levels?• In the recycling example,

product stewardship required that semi-annual industrial hygiene monitoring be performed until exposures were less than half of lowest published occupational exposure limit

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Checking

• Incident Reporting System

• Industrial Hygiene Monitoring

• Product Tracking into & out of a facility

Internal

Stewardship & EOHS Management Systems • Management Review

• Legal Requirements• Review of non-conformity

corrective & preventative actions

• Auditing

Internal

Stewardship Programs • Extended Producer Responsibility Programs (EPRP)• Provides incentives for producers to make product

design changes that would reduce waste management costs

• Focuses on Product recyclability and reducing material use

• Environmental objective of a decreased total environmental impact of a product

• Making the manufacturer of the product responsible for the entire life-cycle of the product and especially for the take-back, recycling and final disposal

External

Stewardship Programs (EPRP Examples)

• Packaging Recovery Organization Europe (PRO

EUROPE)• “Green Dot" (Green Emblem) concept implementation

of Producer Responsibility• Green Dot symbol for the organization of recovery,

sorting and recycling of sales packaging• Packaging of material from manufacturers who pay a license

fee • Industrial companies and commercial enterprises are

relieved of their individual obligation to take back used sales packaging

External

Stewardship Programs (EPRP Examples)

• British Columbia EPRP (BC/Canada)

• Sets up programs based on product• Examples:

• Tire Stewardship BC: Manage scrap tire recycling program on behalf of tire retailers in the province

• Canadian Battery Association: Operates a Province-wide recycling network for consumer and industrial lead-acid batteries

• Light Recycle: Recycling program for residential-use lighting products

External

Stewardship Programs (Circular Economy)

• Linear Economy: characterized by a ‘Take, Make, Use, Dispose’ philosophy

• Circular Economy: Aimed at keeping products and their materials in play for longer periods of time. 

External

Stewardship Programs (Circular Economy)

• Six Principles:• Materials: Cycled indefinitely• Energy: Derived from renewable/sustainable sources• Ecosystem: Human activities support ecosystem• Value: Resources are used to generate value (i.e.:

financial)• Health: Activities support human health• Society: Support a healthy & cohesive society

External

Stewardship Programs (Circular Economy)

• Food Cycle (Amsterdam example)• Reduce imports/exports of food• Focus on sustainable & seasonal

food production• Focus on crop rotation & fewer

pesticides• Less fossil fuel for production• Fewer miles for food transportation• Less packaging, refrigeration, storage

• At sewage plant, sewage sludge is used for fertilizer closing the food cycle loopExternal

Stewardship Programs (EPDs & HPDs) • Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

• Verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products

• Quantifies Environmental Impact • Declarations include information on the

environmental impact of raw material, energy use, content of materials, emissions to air, soil and water and waste generation

• ISO 14040 certificationExternal

Stewardship Programs (EPDs & HPDs) • Forest Stewardship Council Example

(Wood vs. Plastic)• Wood is renewable• Can store carbon, rather than

releasing• When harvested, new trees

planted• Wood is recyclable• Bark can be used a mulch• Can be cut into difference uses

• Wood is biodegradableExternal

Stewardship Programs (EPDs & HPDs) • Health Product Declaration (HPD)

• Disclosure of the potential chemicals of concern in products by comparing product ingredients to a wide variety of “hazard” lists published by government authorities and scientific associations. • For Example: Greenscreen for Safer Chemicals 

• Goal: inform consumers about the types of chemicals that are in the products they install in their buildings.

External

Summary • Internal Benefits of Product Stewards (company)

• Economic • Sustainable packaging=$143 Billion industry

globally• Electronics Recycling=$1.5 Billion in US in 2005• Reduction in tax dollars related to waste

permitting• “Concern for Environment” recognition

• EOHS Management Systems• Reduced worker exposures• Increase worker safety, decreased

regulatory burdenSummary

Summary • External Benefits

• Environmental• Use of fewer virgin

materials• Reduction in waste

through reuse and recycling

• Reduction in energy use yields less pollution, including gases that contribute to climate change.

• Reduction of toxic chemicals into the environment

Summary

Summary • External Benefits

• Financial (Example)• US Scrap Industry generates

$90 Billion/year in activity• Supports ½ Million Jobs• 0.62% of total US economy• $4.3 billion in state and

local revenues annually

Summary

Summary • Product Stewards

• Distinguish their services for customers seeking assurance that products are being managed in an environmentally and globally responsible manner

• Reduce worker exposures, injuries, and lost time• Recognize and manage EHS and operational risks• Create opportunities for business improvement,

improved compliance, and risk reduction• Lay groundwork for successful customer audits & regulatory inspections

Summary

Summary • My electronics recycler example

• Reduction in worker exposure to toxic metals to nearly half the workplace exposure limits

• Reduction injuries & workers compensation costs• Reduction in electronic components being potentially

landfilled (California mandate)• Cost benefit to company in sales of scavenged

components for resale• Workforce retention and job security

Summary

Summary • More Information

• Product Steward Certifying Bodies• Product Stewardship Society (Global)• productstewards.org

Summary