Product Stewardship and Water Efficiency Labelling
July 2005, Ref. ME609
The Ministry for the Environment has released a discussion document on the issues involved with product stewardship and some of the options the government could consider.
Product stewardship is a tool with the potential to greatly improve how we deal with waste. It encourages producers, brand owners, importers and consumers to help manage the environmental effects of products throughout their life cycle.
The discussion document sets out product stewardship options to deal with wastes that are particularly hard to manage or dispose of, such as electronic waste, cars, used oil. The preferred option is voluntary agreements by industry, with legislation as a backstop only if required. The final shape of any product stewardship policy and its adoption by government will be determined after consultation.
The document also proposes a water efficiency labelling scheme for whiteware, toilets and taps which - among other things - can improve water use efficiency and save energy.
Availability:
- Read online (HTML)
- Download PDF (361 KB)
- Printed copies are available by emailing publications@mfe.govt.nz.
