Resource Recycling Magazine: National Stewardship Action Council forms to lobby for EPR laws

National Stewardship Action Council forms to lobby for EPR laws

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

September 30, 2015

The California Product Stewardship Council has helped form a new group to advocate for extended producer responsibility laws around the country.

The National Stewardship Action Council was created to push the U.S. in the direction of a circular economy, according to an announcement from the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC).

"With extended producer responsibility (EPR) beginning to take hold on a national level, expertise in the drafting of laws governing EPR is greatly needed," Doug Kobold, vice chair of CPSC stated in a press release. "NSAC, being born out of CPSC, in a state with the most EPR laws on the books today, stands poised to help stakeholders nationwide develop quality state and local laws that will be affordable, sensible, fair, effective and enforceable."

Extended producer responsibility systems use legislation to require product or packaging manufactures to fund and help manage the end-of-life concerns of the materials those companies put on the market.

As a 501(c)(3) organization, CPSC is limited by Internal Revenue Service rules in the amount of lobbying it can do. Founded as a 501(c)(4) group, NSAC will be engaged primarily in lobbying and advocacy work for EPR around the country. The organization will also be able to become involved in elections for public office.

The group filed for registration with the California Secretary of State's Office on June 3.

Heidi Sanborn, CPSC executive director, will serve as executive director of NSAC.

"I am very excited after eight years of leading CPSC to take that experience and move beyond primarily education about what producer responsibility means, to advocating nationally for this policy approach," Sanborn stated in the press release.

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