Acting on Our Shared Responsibility - GlobalAgStewardship When likeWhen like--minded people act on their shared minded people act on their shared responsibility, the results speak

Voluntary Product Stewardship in Australia

Acting on Our Shared ResponsibilityActing on Our Shared Responsibility

Karen GomezChief Executive Officer

@AgStewardship www.agstewardshipaustralia.org.au

When likeWhen like--minded people act on their shared minded people act on their shared responsibility, the results responsibility, the results

speak for themselvesspeak for themselves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TKK81EwJ4&feature=youtube_gdata_playerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TKK81EwJ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Leading Agricultural Stewardship


• Australia’s leading agricultural voluntary

product stewardship programs:

– drumMUSTER®

and ChemClear®

• A brief history:

Overview

• A brief history:

– Regulatory and industry development

• AgStewardship Australia

• Why a voluntary approach has worked


drumMUSTER ®

• Collects and recycles used agricultural chemical

containers

• 750 collection sites through over 520 collection

agencies, including 450 local government authorities

in rural Australia


• 17.5 million containers; around 25,000t (US)

collected since the program began in 1999

• 84 participating manufacturers and suppliers,

covering approximately 90% of annual sales


drumMUSTER Collection

Sites

• Funded through pre-paid fee of 4 cents per liter

(around 15.4c/gallon) or 4 cents per kg (1.8c/lb) by

participating manufacturers and ultimately paid by

consumers of agricultural chemicals.

– 90% of annual sales covered. Anti-trust exemption,

drumMUSTER

– 90% of annual sales covered. Anti-trust exemption,

reauthorization required every 5 years

• Different models to adapt to different regional needs

– Community groups, continual collections, on farm

collections and specifically timed collections


When combined with packaging

elimination strategies overall 75%

diverted from landfill compared to

Whole of Lifecycle Approach

diverted from landfill compared to

1999.


Whole of Lifecycle Approach


Shared Responsibility


drumMUSTER

• Market research about drumMUSTER amongst farmers

has shown:

– Awareness is very high – 97% of respondents

– Participation is good – 65% of respondents

• Farmers consider the benefits to include environmental


• Farmers consider the benefits to include environmental

care, sustainable farming practices, and quality

assurance/market access

• A success story for Australian agriculture

• Strong sense of ownership and support among Australian

farmers

• Collects and disposes of unwanted or obsolete

agricultural chemicals

• Collected more than 290 US tons of hazardous

agricultural chemicals since 2003

• Prepaid levy funds eligible industry chemicals.

ChemClear ®

• Prepaid levy funds eligible industry chemicals.

• Also offer to service for unidentifiable, OCPs and

non-participating chemicals on user pays basis or

with Government subsidy


• 98% reused as fossil fuel replacement in

cement manufacture

• Saving around 480 US tons in CO2 equivalents

ChemClear


“This is a much better

than trying to dispose

of these products by

other methods”NFF 2010 Member Survey

Why are Programs Important?

• Vital to agricultural sector and the national economy-

production underpinning 12% GDP

• Strengthening Australian farmers’ reputation, including:

► Helping ensure ongoing access to valuable markets and

Australia’s natural resources

► Protecting our reputation for ‘clean and green’ food and


► Protecting our reputation for ‘clean and green’ food and

fiber

► Demonstrating Australian farmers are farming sustainably

• Protects access to agricultural chemicals as integral part of

farm management practices

A Brief History

19981998 19991999 20002000 20032003 20092009

National

Strategy for the

Management

of Agricultural

and Veterinary

State and

Federal

Government

ChemCollect

program

RegulatorsNational Waste

Policy embracing

product

stewardship

Great Barrier

20112011

Product

Stewardship Bill

(2011) voluntary,

co-regulatory and

mandatory


and Veterinary

Chemicals

drumMUSTER

established

under Industry

Waste

Reduction

Scheme run by

Agsafe Ltd

program

Industry

establishes

ChemClear to

collect

chemicals post

Chemcollect

AgStewardship

Australia

Strategic

responsibilities.

Sub-contracts to

Agsafe to operate

programsIndustry

Great Barrier

Reef Protection

Act

mandatory

framework

Industry’s

voluntary action

has helped keep

us ahead of

regulation

• Operating since April 2009 to bring a strategic focus to

environmental stewardship in Australian agriculture

• Partnership of organisations with farming chemical

supply chain focus:

− From manufacturers to farmers and local government

About AgStewardship

− From manufacturers to farmers and local government

• Role includes direction setting, policy formulation,

and the development of new stewardship programs

• Collects levy to run programs and sub-contracts to

Agsafe Ltd for operational delivery


• Support Australian agriculture’s contribution to sustainability by continuing to reduce the environmental impact of the agricultural chemical supply chain.

• Continue to improve drumMUSTER and ChemClear to ensure their long-term sustainability

• Contribute to the ongoing development of waste

Purpose

• Contribute to the ongoing development of waste management and stewardship policy

• Work with participating organisations to identify and capitalise on mutually beneficial partnership opportunities.

• Facilitate new stewardship programs


Structure

Supply chain

represented on Board of

AgStewardship


Strategic oversight and

reputation development

Program operator

• Australian agriculture has low trade protection, productivity is key to competitiveness.

• Industry owned and run programs enable cost effectiveness through control and flexibility

• Reduces cost to regulators and industry

Why A Voluntary Approach?

• Reduces cost to regulators and industry

• Can form partnerships with Government (and others) to address specific problems – e.g. clean up after natural disasters


• Demonstrable risk to environment and

produce if not addressed

− Farm management practices

− Consumer expectations

Why A Voluntary Approach?

• Industry organisations drive leadership, all play

a role

• Flexible regional model

• Shared risk for government, industry and

communities if programs fail


Documents

Acting on Our Shared Responsibility - GlobalAgStewardship When likeWhen like--minded people act on their shared minded people act on their shared responsibility, the results speak