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24 Apr 07 - principles; bags; PBDEs; Home Depot; stewardship; resources ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org --------------------- From Sheila Hollanders, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Environmental Protection Division, Victoria, BC: Do any states in the U.S. have official policy that outlines the principles by which they set environmental guidelines and standards? Principles could include: the precautionary principle; "polluter pays" principle; applying pollution prevention; maximizing net environmental, social, health and economic benefits. I am only reachable by this e-mail until Friday, April 27th, so please get in touch with me before then if you have any information. Thanks! E-mail: Sheila [D O T] Hollanders [A T] gov [D O T] bc [D O T] ca (Note from Tom: Sheila sent me this on the 13th, but this is the earliest I could get out an edition of the Forum, so the short response time is my fault, not hers.) ---------------------- From Lynn Leopold, Ithaca, NY, responding to the 4/5/07 news item about the San Francisco ban on plastic shopping bags: Regarding the plastic bag ban in San Francisco, I have two questions: First, will substituting the starch-based plastic have an impact on any ongoing film plastic recycling efforts, such as the ones in large supermarket chains? Presumably, after the ban goes into effect, the big stores will discontinue their programs for plastic bag recycling? Second, how many residents will know that throwing away starch-based plastic bags in landfills will not make any difference at all in the volume of landfill wastes? They will not biodegrade in today's hermetically-sealed landfills. I fear that the biodegradable plastic as a solution to landfill volumes is a red herring. If landfills are constructed to exclude water and oxygen, the whole issue is moot. If, on the other hand, plastic bags are truly used in a curbside green-waste collection program through which they will be composted and will truly break down, then that would be reason enough to switch to the starch-based bags. But everyone has to be in on the secret! E-mail: lynnbird58 ( A T ) yahoo ( D O T ) com ----------------------- Excerpted from a 4/18/07 Associated Press article by Rachel La Corte: WASHINGTON FIRST STATE TO BAN FIREPROOFING CHEMICALS Washington state is the first in the nation to begin phasing out the use of some fireproofing chemicals in televisions, computers and upholstered furniture, under a measure signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire April 17. The measure prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of most items containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers, commonly known as PBDEs, as long as a safer alternative exists. Under the measure, mattresses with deca, a type of PBDE, would be banned after Jan. 1, 2008, since deca alternatives already exist for mattresses. The chemical would be prohibited in residential upholstered furniture and in televisions or computers with electronic enclosures after Jan. 1, 2011, as long as a safer alternative has been found. There would be some exemptions, including: the sale of used cars made before Jan. 1, 2008, that have parts containing PBDEs; safety systems required by the Federal Aviation Administration; and medical devices. The Ecology and Health departments would have to review alternatives to deca-PBDE products, consulting with a fire safety committee that would include the state's director of fire protection and the executive director of the Washington Fire Chiefs. By Dec. 15, 2008, the two agencies would have to report to the Legislature on the availability of alternatives to the compound. Two forms of PBDEs, penta and octa, are no longer produced in this country because U.S. manufacturers voluntarily stopped production in 2004, making deca the most commonly used form. Its largest use is in the black plastic casings of TVs. Some companies, such as Dell, Canon and Sony, have already phased out PBDEs. Furniture manufacturers such as Ikea have also stopped using parts that have PBDEs. The measure before the Legislature focused on deca, which has been detected in people, salmon, seals and orcas. Opponents in the chemical industry had lobbied hard against the measure, taking out full-page ads in newspapers and calling for Gregoire to veto the measure. In a written statement released Tuesday, one group said that deca "is highly effective and the most studied flame retardant on the market." "The use of safe, effective flame retardants saves many lives every year by preventing or slowing down fires," wrote Michael Spiegelstein, chairman of the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, an industry trade association opposed to the new law. "The real risk in Washington is that the substitution of one product for another is not as simple as some people think - any substance used as an alternative to Deca will carry its own risks, and we may not even be aware just what those risks are because no alternative has been studied as extensively as Deca." But supporters said that research has been ongoing and that the state will work with the fire safety community to make sure superior alternatives are found. -------------------------- Excerpted from an article by Michael Barbaro in the business section of the 4/17/07 New York Times (forwarded by Carl Hursh): HOME DEPOT INTRODUCES ENVIRONMENTAL LABEL After squabbling over prices for decades, the nation's big-box retail chains are ready to battle in a new arena: the environment. On April 17, Home Depot introduced a label for nearly 3,000 products, like fluorescent light bulbs that conserve electricity and natural insect killers, that promote energy conservation, sustainable forestry and clean water. The initiative - which is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain's sales - would become the largest green labeling program in American retailing and could persuade competitors to speed up their own plans. And it signals that Home Depot, the country's second-largest retailer, is joining the largest, Wal-Mart, in pursuing issues of public concern like climate change that stores have left to governments and environmental groups. More than 90 percent of the products in the line are already on Home Depot's shelves, but the Eco Options brand (http://www.homedepot.com/ecooptions) will identify them as environmentally friendly. Home Depot executives said that as the world's largest buyer of construction material, their company had the power to persuade thousands of suppliers, home builders and consumers to follow its lead on environment sustainability. "Who in the world has a chance to have a bigger impact on this sector than Home Depot?" said Ron Jarvis, vice president for environmental innovation at the retailer, which is based in Atlanta. But persuading the majority of Americans to buy less polluting products could prove an uphill battle, at least for now, environmental advocates say. Decades of research have shown that consumers often say they want sustainable products but rarely purchase them. Prices tend to be higher, and consumers complain that the products do not always work as well as those they are meant to replace. "There has not been a lot of success, frankly," said Laurie Demeritt, president of the Hartman Group, which consults with retailers like Wal-Mart and Whole Foods on how to sell environmentally sustainable products. A big exception has been organic food. But even there, Ms. Demeritt said, consumers seem to be motivated by the health benefits, not the environmental impact. Home Depot introduced Eco Options products in Canada in 2004, where the company has fewer than 200 stores - and so far, sales there have been strong. The company said it has asked suppliers to produce Eco Option goods at the same prices as conventional merchandise. But it acknowledged that some products would be more expensive at the cash register, even if consumers are likely to save money over time - as in the case of the energy-efficient light bulbs. Suppliers that qualify for the Eco Options label will be rewarded with preferential treatment - like prominent shelf space in the nearly 2,000 Home Depot stores in the United States and aggressive marketing through weekly newspaper inserts. Merchandise can qualify for the new line in two ways. It either meets widely accepted federal and industry standards, like the Energy Star or the Forest Stewardship Council certification process, or its environmental claims are tested and validated by an outside company, Scientific Certification Systems. Ultimately, Home Depot, rather than a third party, determines what products will receive an Eco Options label. There is, for example, a silicone window and door sealant from General Electric that improves the energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions from coal-burning electricity plants. Another product is a glass cleaner from OdoBan that has low levels of volatile organic compounds, vapors linked to health problems. And organic plant food from Miracle-Gro uses no harsh chemicals that imperil water supplies. For Home Depot, the new program is the culmination of a nearly decade-long journey from environmental whipping boy to green darling. In the late 1990s, groups conducted repeated protests against the company, contending that it sold wood from endangered forests in countries including Chile and Indonesia. But by 2000, Home Depot had promised to eliminate sales of lumber from environmentally sensitive areas and began giving preference to wood from forests that are managed in ways considered sound. Since then, Home Depot has worked with environmental groups to develop a variety of green programs, like offsetting carbon emissions from its headquarters by planting thousands of trees in Atlanta. Its changes mirror those at Wal-Mart, which was heavily criticized by environmentalists for failing to manage storm-water runoff during construction of new stores in the United States and for generating high levels of pollution in countries like China, where many of its products are manufactured. But in 2005, Wal-Mart committed itself to reduce energy use in its stores, improve its trucks' fuel efficiency and minimize the use of packaging. Like Home Depot, Wal-Mart is asking that suppliers develop more sustainable products. But Wal-Mart has yet to introduce a broad environmental labeling program. It is hardly alone. Retailers have been reluctant to brand products as green because of lackluster sales. "The options offered in the past have been a little ahead of their time," said Lawrence A. Selzer, president of the Conservation Fund, an environmental group that works closely with Home Depot. But Mr. Selzer said "what feels different today is the level of public engagement" on issues like climate change. "There is a buzz in the country right now," he said. "The buying public is ready, willing and able." Even if the products do not sell briskly, environmental leaders said their presence on the shelves would begin teaching millions of shoppers about the impact of household products like weed killers and light bulbs. ------------------------ Link to the California Product Stewardship Council website (forwarded by Bill Sheehan): http://caproductstewardship.org This website began operation in March, 2007. The Council's mission is to shift California's product waste management system from one focused on government-funded and ratepayer-financed waste diversion to one that relies on producer responsibility. ------------------------ Excerpted from a column by Bob Tedeschi in the business section of the 4/23/07 New York Times: TWO MAJOR NEW ECO-WEBSITES LAUNCHED Buoyed by the breakaway success of "An Inconvenient Truth," the film documentary of Al Gore's environmental lecture, publishers like The Washington Post, National Geographic and others are increasing their offerings of "green" content, hoping to attract readers and advertising revenues from manufacturers and retailers who are suddenly walking the earth-friendly path. On Earth Day, April 22, for instance, the online arm of The Washington Post Company introduced Sprig.com (http://www.sprig.com), a new Web site aimed at environmentally-conscious women. Analysts said the initiative is well-enough timed and executed. "If you looked at 10 new markets to go after right now, this would probably be close to the top, because the number of companies advertising green stuff will explode in the next couple of years," said Josh Bernoff, an online media analyst with Forrester Research, a consulting firm. "And having an established company behind it is a good way to kick something like this off." Sprig.com features articles in five categories: food, fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle, with videos liberally mixed into each section. In the beauty section, a video features an eco-friendly manicure and pedicure, while in the food section, visitors can watch organic cooking demonstrations. The site will post about six new articles a day, written in a way one might characterize as Green Lite. "We're targeting this to the 95 percent of people who want to be 5 percent green," said Jeanie Pyun, Sprig's editor in chief. "Not the 5 percent of people who want to be 95 percent green." Sprig says it has already signed up more than 100,000 subscribers to its daily e-mail newsletter. One advertiser already lined up is the Clorox Company, which produces a range of consumer products including Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressings. Sumona Pramanik, associate marketing manager for Hidden Valley, said she chose Sprig to carry ads about her brand's new organic ranch dressing partly because Sprig is aimed at a mainstream audience. "Their positioning as a stylish green site made them a perfect fit," Ms. Pramanik said. "And having that female target consumer, that's definitely a place where we play." Analysts acknowledge some risk in investing big dollars in the green movement, given that in past decades, the interest in environmentalism eventually waned. But, they said, the Internet offers media companies a good way to hedge. Even though a new Web site costs much to get off the ground, it is less expensive than starting a magazine or television production. And, a Web site can be adjusted more easily for shifting tastes. The National Geographic Society also rolled out a new site this week, Green.NationalGeographic.com (http://www.green.nationalgeographic.com). That site will include more than 2,000 pages of environmental news, how-to videos and tips on eco-friendly travel and activities. According to Betsy Scolnik, president of National Geographic's online division, the new site follows last month's acquisition of TheGreenGuide.com, a Web site that, among other things, offers buying guides in various categories. TheGreenGuide's content, she said, will appear both on NationalGeographic.com as well as the new "green" site. To build out the content on Green.NationalGeographic.com, Ms. Scolnik said the organization is relying on its National Geographic News division, in which more than 200 correspondents file daily reports on environmental news from around the world. Advertising support for this type of news, Ms. Scolnik said, has grown briskly in the past year. "We've definitely seen more advertisers interested in this type of content," she said. "It's thrilling to us that everybody's interested in the planet - finally." As more established media companies focus on the green movement, independent green sites like TreeHugger.com are in an interesting position. Do they accede to acquisition offers from traditional print publishers, or do they watch those companies build sites and try to compete against their formidable sales and marketing teams? Ken Rother, TreeHugger's president, said he has declined buyout offers from newspaper publishers, among others, partly because revenue and traffic have increased at a breakneck pace since Mr. Gore's big-screen success. Hertz, Sundance and other mainstream marketers have advertised on his site recently, and traffic has roughly doubled since November, to about 1.6 million monthly visitors. Mr. Rother said he is bracing for a possible drop in advertising revenue once Sprig's sales pick up. "We absolutely worry about it," he said. "Advertisers will have a tough choice in front of them. It could be that the market will segment in different ways, and we might see a drop in our fashion advertising because Sprig might take ownership of that. But it also depends on how good they are. We have trust with our readership. These other organizations will have to develop that if they're going to succeed." - end -