About the Council

Defining Product Stewardship

Definition of Key Terms

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) - This term is defined as the extension of the responsibility of producers, and all entities involved in the product chain, to reduce the cradle-to-cradle impacts of a product and its packaging. The greatest responsibility lies with the producer, or brand owner, who makes design and marketing decisions.

This definition is similar to the definition used by the Product Stewardship Institute in recognizing a shared responsibility, but one that lies mostly with the producer. The reference to the product chain refers to suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, users and recyclers. EPR focuses on enhancing environmental benefits through improved product design for reduction and reuse, and increased collection and recycling where needed, without transferring end-of-life management problems elsewhere.

Orphaned Product - Products for which the manufacturer or successor is no longer in business and there is no obvious producer to take back the item at the end of its life.

Producer - This term is fundamental to any discussion on EPR, yet it is challenging to define for all products. In order to have a common understanding of the term, the general working definition below is offered with recognition that a more refined definition would be needed for a product stewardship program that is focused on a particular product or product category. Product-specific definitions of the term producer need to be legally binding if all producers are to be held to the same ground rules.

Producer means:

1. a person who manufacturers a product and sells, offers for sale or distributes the product in (state) under the manufacturer’s own brand
2. if subparagraph (i) does not apply, a person who is not the manufacturer of the product but is the owner or licensee of a trade mark under which a product is sold or distributed in (state), whether or not the trademark is registered, or
3. if subparagraphs (i) and (ii) do not apply, a person who imports the product into (state) for sale or distribution.

Product Stewardship Program - This is term is used by provinces in Canada. The NWPSC believes using the same term in Washington and Oregon will maintain consistency in our communications, particularly for those stakeholders operating throughout North America.

A Product Stewardship Program is a program that encompasses product design for source reduction and reuse, as well as the collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal of unwanted products, including legacy products and the program’s fair share of orphan products, which is financed as well as managed or provided by the producers of those products.

Stewardship Organization (SO) - This term is used to describe a corporation or organization that is appointed by a producer to act as an agent on behalf of the producer to administer a product stewardship program. This may also be referred to as a Third Party Organization (TPO) or Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO).

top of page