Product Stewardship

What is Product Stewardship?

Product Stewardship Schemes and Initiatives

Regulation and Accreditation

Ministers Priority Product List

What is Product Stewardship?

Product stewardship is an approach that strives to reduce the environmental and human health impacts of products and materials throughout their lifecycle and across the supply chain. It assigns responsibility for these impacts to the producers, manufacturers, brands, importers and retailers placing the products on the market (i.e. ‘extended producer responsibility’).

This aligns with the principles of a circular economy, and provides an obvious pathway for businesses and governments to operationalise designing-out waste and pollution, prolonging the life and value of products and materials, and transitioning away from the use of finite resources and focus on restoring natural ecosystems and preserving renewable resources.

Producer responsibility across the lifecycle is at the core of effective product stewardship.

The figure below outlines the product stewardship actions that can deliver circular economy outcomes across the three product lifecycle stages: design and production, consumption and post-consumption.

Product Stewardship Schemes and Initiatives

The Product Stewardship Gateway is currently offline for review and updating.

For the latest overview of product stewardship activity in Australia check out our 2024 Annual Impact Report.  

To see what collective product stewardship schemes and individual business initiatives are currently operating click here.

If you have a product stewardship scheme or initiative that can be added to the Gateway or have an inquiry about the Gateway or Practice note database using our online form.

Operational

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ChemClear

drumMUSTER

In development

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Battery Stewardship Council

Exitcycle

Regulation and Accreditation

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 provides for voluntary, co-regulatory and mandatory product stewardship schemes. Voluntary schemes can operate independently of Government, or, apply for accreditation.

Accreditation of Voluntary Schemes

If successfully accredited, schemes can use a government product stewardship logo.

Use of the logo allows schemes to promote the recognition and credibility that comes from government accreditation. This provides an incentive for industry to seek accreditation of their schemes and will provide a basis for consumers to identify accredited voluntary schemes.

Co-regulatory Schemes

The co-regulatory approach uses a combination of industry action and supporting Government regulation to achieve outcomes specified in rules, such as recycling outcomes for products.

Mandatory Product Stewardship

Mandatory product stewardship is used where other types of product stewardship have been considered and found unsuitable, or where mandatory arrangements would deliver greater benefit to the community.

Mandatory rules may require individuals or organisations involved in the life of a product to take actions that relate to the objects of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020.

More information on regulation of Product Stewardship is available here.

Ministers Priority Product List

The Minister’s Priority List names products and materials that need urgent product stewardship action.

The list signals that the Minister may consider regulatory measures if industry does not act. Regulatory measures are set out in the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. Listing products gives industry and the public certainty and transparency about potential regulation. The published list details recommended actions and timeframes the relevant industries can take to reduce the possibility of future government regulation of such products. Those steps could include voluntary stewardship.

The Centre of Excellence provides advice to the Minister on list priorities. The list is reviewed and updated annually.

A number of products that were on the 2022-23 list are not on the 2023-24 list because the government is progressing regulation for these categories. This is because industry has made insufficient progress to better manage the environmental impacts of these products since they were first listed.  They include photovoltaic systems, electrical and electronic products, problematic and unnecessary single use plastics, and oil containers.

The 2023-24 priority product list includes:

  • Clothing Textiles
  • Tyres
  • Plastics in health care products in hospitals
  • Mattresses
  • Child car seats

More information about the Minister’s Priority List can be found here:

www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/product-stewardship/ministers-priority-list-23-24#daff-page-main

The Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence is an independent, not for profit charity, that seeks to reduce waste generation and create positive environmental and social outcomes through sustainable design, resource conservation, reuse, repair, and recycling. The Centre helps businesses, industries, and product stewardship organisations to adopt a strong lifecycle approach to deliver their ESG and circular economy objectives. We also provide independent advice on product stewardship priorities to the Australian government.

Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence Limited  |  PO Box 7052  |   Berrima NSW 2577

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