Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence

The Australian Government’s primary approach to #productstewardship over the past 25 years has been to encourage producers to voluntarily take responsibility for the socio-environmental impacts of their products rather than to regulate producer responsibility. Unfortunately, this approach is not helping to deliver the government’s environmental and resource management objectives with only one of the seven targets for the National Waste Policy Action Plan to be met by 2030.   'Investing in Intelligent Regulation' is the Centre’s latest white paper which outlines why regulated product stewardship has strong economic advantages over voluntary approaches and the allocation of government grants.  Specifically, the paper provides evidence why regulated product stewardship is especially effective in:   - Stimulating investment: Regulation provides incentives for private sector investment, including in more challenging economic conditions.   - Ensuring that the investment is efficient: Well-designed regulation ensures that investment is aligned with the long-term interests of the community, promoting long-run economic efficiency.   - Driving productivity and competitiveness: Regulation provides incentives for innovation and technological growth, driving productivity and competitiveness.    By looking at long-term, whole-of-community objectives, regulation: - provides an effective driver to invest - avoids imbalances in investment - ensures that the investment is efficient over time - provides certainty to inform corporate decision-making - underpins productivity and competitiveness - accelerates innovation diffusion providing benefits to current and future generations   Regulation does not need to be onerous or highly prescriptive to harness these benefits. Provided it is well-designed, proportionate, provides an impetus for action and certainty for investment while balancing triple-bottom line objectives, it will be effective, efficient and position our economy for long-run success.    Intelligent #regulation also provides a pivotal intervention that can break the current cycle of privatising profits while socialising the true cost of the environmental and human health #impacts of products and packaging. Download a copy here: https://lnkd.in/grsfwB8P Productivity Commission #policy #regulation #EPR #environemnt #sustainability #circulareconomy #government #investment #economics #ROI #extendedproducerresponsibility #CEMAG John Thwaites Tanya Plibersek Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Jim Chalmers Andrew Leigh MP Ed Husic MP

Interested in a summary of initiatives, activities and analysis of product stewardship in Australia? Download a copy of the Centre's Annual Impact Report for 2024 which includes a foreword from Tony Chappel, CEO of the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA): https://lnkd.in/gDMxsDdh #productstewardship #EPR #ExtendedProducerResponsibility #annualreport #circulareconomy

⚠️Australian and New Zealand Emergency Response Guide Book Update⚠️ 🔋Includes Considerations For Lithium Battery & Electric Vehicle (EV) Fires 🔋 The National Transport Commission and the Competent Authorities Panel have finalised the 2024 edition of the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Response Guide Book. This is based on the updated 2024 ERG released by Canutec.   Digital copy available at https://lnkd.in/gHFidGBb (near the bottom of the page) Link to purchase hard copies: https://lnkd.in/g8T8cuxQ The NTC advises that the definition of emergency information in the ADG Code means that either of the ANZ-ERG 2024 or the ANZ-ERG 2021 are valid emergency information while ADG 7.9 is in effect. However, the earlier AERG 2018 (from CAP and NTC) and the HB 76 (from Standards Australia) are no longer acceptable for use as emergency information under the current ADG Code. These contain outdated information and should be replaced as soon as possible. Should you identify any errors or omissions, please email these to ADGCode@ntc.gov.au. Note that the NTC and CAP do not alter the technical content of the guides, but can assist with referring issues with this content to the organisations responsible for the source document. National Transport Commission #safety #lithiumbatteries Matt Arkell

Green Industries SA's latest rounds of funding under our Circular Infrastructure Grants and Circular Business and Market Development Grants programs are closing in a couple of days (31 Jan). Get your applications in! See below for links to eligibility and application details.

The National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life (NCTDDL) is launching online (teams) its Timber Circularity Resource Map - Thursday 27th February at 1pm (QLD time) The 1-hour session will include: * Timber Circularity Project overview * Map details and data * Case Study Walkthrough of the map * Q&A Register here https://lnkd.in/guXikyPr The Timber Circularity Resource Map is one of the key outcomes of the Timber Circularity Project that is looking at circular solutions for treated timber and EWP waste and offcuts. The Map identifies locations, types, and amounts of unused timber resources available, as well as solutions that can be integrated in a circular economy strategy. The geospatial map will serve as a powerful tool to repurpose timber waste into valuable resources, reduce waste disposal costs, lower environmental impact, and drive progress toward achieving Australia's 2030 circular economy objectives. 

The National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life (NCTDDL) is launching online (teams) its Timber Circularity Resource Map - Thursday 27th February at 1pm (QLD time) The 1-hour session will include: * Timber Circularity Project overview * Map details and data * Case Study Walkthrough of the map * Q&A Register here https://lnkd.in/guXikyPr The Timber Circularity Resource Map is one of the key outcomes of the Timber Circularity Project that is looking at circular solutions for treated timber and EWP waste and offcuts. The Map identifies locations, types, and amounts of unused timber resources available, as well as solutions that can be integrated in a circular economy strategy. The geospatial map will serve as a powerful tool to repurpose timber waste into valuable resources, reduce waste disposal costs, lower environmental impact, and drive progress toward achieving Australia's 2030 circular economy objectives. 

Make it your 2025 goal to learn more about the exciting developments, research and technology that give Australia the foundations to be a world leader in the transition to a circular battery economy. Join us in Sydney on July 17 for the battery industry’s major annual event, the Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit. This year’s keynote speaker is NSW Environment Minister, the Hon Penny Sharpe, MLC, who recently announced that NSW would be the first state in Australia to introduce mandatory battery stewardship legislation. The event will showcase the innovations and know-how in the battery sector, while creating a unique opportunity to network with your peers from here and overseas. Early bird registrations are now open on the conference website https://lnkd.in/gGFZMi2F #batteryrecycling #sustainability #circulareconomy #battery

We are proud to be leading two important projects with support from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) with $3.3m in funding!

Creating a circular economy is one of the most challenging missions we can pursue. It is necessary, complex and disruptive. It also has the potential to deliver significant environmental, social and economic benefits across industries, sectors and communities. And so, we need to collectively embrace the complexity because only genuine reform can achieve the anticipated benefits that will build Australia’s competitiveness within the context of environmental protection, resource productivity and an equitable society.   As many of you will know, the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group’s final report to the Environment Minister – ‘The Circular Advantage’ has been released. It features 14 core recommendations including the creation of a Circular Economy Act, and 12 sector-specific recommendations. These recommendations are a substantial start, ready to adopt, refine, resource and implement.   They focus on several key areas in need of action, reform and investment. My priority list includes the need to recognise First Nations peoples and knowledge systems (rec 3); Legislating for a circular future (rec 4); Using public procurement (rec 6); and Empowering consumers and communities to build circular economy literacy (rec 14).   I would like to thank Minister Tanya Plibersek and the Australian Government for their support of the process. Seeking input from a diverse group not only reflects the myriad of possibilities, but it also helps to socialise and prioritise ideas and solutions. Thanks also to the advisory group’s chair – John Thwaites.   I encourage you to read and review the Advisory Group’s report available here: https://lnkd.in/g7u4QfKv   For those with an interest in #design, #repair, mandatory product stewardship, extended producer responsibility, product sustainability and aligning with European policy initiatives,  please look closely at Chapter 4 – ‘Transforming supply chains through targeted regulation’. The timely creation of a well-resourced #CircularEconomyAct with powers to cut -through current road-blocks will be essential in the transition to a more sustainable future.   I also encourage you to review the Government’s National Circular Economy Framework which was released at the same time.  You can review the framework here: https://lnkd.in/gpNi7yhU   Both documents are stepping stones towards realising a circular economy, and a prerequisite to implementation. They benefit from hindsight and insight with a clear attempt at foresight.   I believe that a #circulareconomy is so much more than a competitive economy. Ultimately a circular economy must be characterised by that which is environmentally essential and positive, economically responsible, socially just and culturally desirable.   #circulareconomyministerialadvisorygroup #CEMAG #AUSgov #policy #frameworks Productivity Commission

The Circular Environment Ministerial Advisory Council presented its Final Report “Circular Advantage” to Tanya Plibersek Minister for the Environment and Water earlier this month. At the same time the Minister announced Australia’s first Circular Economy Framework.. step one as we transition from a recycling economy to a circular economy. What does that mean? Increased focus on prevention and designing out waste. Increased producer responsibility, keeping products, materials and resources in use. Increased regenerative practices across the built environment, food and agriculture, resources and water sectors. For those interested in what it means for #productstewardship #producerresponsibility #productsustainability #epr check out Chapter 4 Transforming supply chains through targeted regulation. https://lnkd.in/gvBKHqkg