Sending Waste Back to the Source

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It will be a cold day in a plastics incinerator before business interests embrace government regulations. The Clinton administration--which has opposed European-style EPR efforts for years--stresses voluntary company efforts that jibe with business goals. Even environmental advocates like Fishbein hope to entice U.S. corporations with the competitive advantages they can reap by making less wasteful products. Some American firms have taken the bait: Xerox's asset recycling management program has saved up to $50 million, according to a 1997 company report, and remanufactured equipment from 30,000 tons of returned machines. There's also a national take-back program for nickel-cadmium batteries, similar to the green dot system, launched through an industry-wide initiative.

But emphasizing costs and efficiency undercuts the potential impact of EPR. If it's just a business argument, some companies will fire back that it won't save them money; others will invoke the threat of lawsuits, trade battles, or the fickle tastes of consumers. Note that the battery initiative got under way only because eight U.S. states mandated this kind of recycling. Extended producer responsibility is not really about saving companies money, and corporate interests know it. It's about pushing firms to rethink how they do business--to reduce the size of boxes, to stop dreaming up disposables, to revamp marketing programs, and to redesign products before they ever hit the stores.

Discuss at the Nature conference in Cafe Utne: www.utne.com/salon.aspx

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