Climate Change & EPR

PPI White Paper

Products, Packaging and US Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Joshuah Stolaroff, PhD

[1]September 2009                                                                     Download [1]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This paper builds on a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practices,” which offers new insight into the impact of products and packaging on climate change. Based on the report, non-food products are associated with 37 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This paper extends the EPA analysis to include the impacts from producing products abroad that are consumed in the U.S.  This brings the share of products and packaging to 44 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

A comparison with these national-level figures is made with previous research on U.S. household carbon footprints, which similarly finds that products make up a large share of the average household’s greenhouse gas impact and a significantly larger share when international emissions are included. Examples are given of how state and local governments can measure and reduce emissions associated with products. Extended Producer Responsibility is discussed as a policy option to reduce the greenhouse gas impact of products.

• PPI White Paper [1], "Products, Packaging and US Greenhouse Gas Emissions" - September 2009
• PPI Press Release [2]- September 18, 2009

• US EPA Report [3], "Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practice" - September 2009
• US EPA Press Release [4] - September 18, 2009 
   
• September 21, 2009
  New York Times article EPA and PPI reports on Green Inc
  [5]
• November 16, 2009
  Everything You Know About Going Green Is Wrong [6]

   

• October 28, 2009
  John DeCock: Want to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Reduce Your Trash Footprint! [7]
   
• October 18, 2009
  The Missing Link in Climate Change: Product Policy [8]

   

• 
  November 23, 2009
  Black Friday Tarnishes the Globe [9]

Washington Climate Action Team - Framework EPR Policy

In 2008 the Governors Climate Action Team in Washington State proposed product stewardship and an EPR Framework policy as ways of addressing climate change. 

• Summary of EPR Famework policy [10]in Climate Action Report (1 page; draft 10-Oct-2009)
• Proposed EPR framework legislation [11] -- Pages 65-83 in the Climate Action Team's report, Beyond Waste.

Resources

• SWANA Webinar by PPI: Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Product Stewardship [12]  Nov 30, 2009

• EPA Webinar on Climate Change  [13] August 5, 2008
• Stolaroff presentation [14]   *   Stolaroff transcript [15]   *   David Allaway presentation [13]