Our Legislative Priorities

Our Mission is to promote a more circular economy through practical and sustainable action and sound public policy that results in measurable improvement in environmental and economic outcomes, including clean air and water, greater domestic resource and energy efficiency, and economic benefits to our communities. 

Climate Change & Lifecycle Assessment

Climate change is a pressing problem in need of urgent policy focus and attention. We commit to reaching net zero GHG emissions by 2050, consistent with the Biden Administration’s objectives announced during the Leaders Summit on Climate in 2021.

A more circular economy, across the entire value chain, is imperative in mitigating GHG emissions, both in terms of reducing emissions from the waste sector and enabling emissions reductions across the energy, transportation, industry, land-use, and agricultural sectors.

Decisions need to be based on science. Lifecycle assessment and thinking deployed across the entire value chain are amongst our best tools in supporting appropriate decisions.

Lifecycle assessments must be transparent and performed in accordance with internationally recognized standards, such as ISO 14044. Where a full LCA is not practical, we should employ lifecycle thinking and the waste hierarchy to directionally reduce impacts and avoid burden shifting.

Timeframes for evaluation, including lifecycle analysis and the consideration of the relative impacts of different GHGs, should be aligned with the timeframe of global action.

Materials & Production Management

  • Reaching a circular economy will require best practices and innovation across the value chain, from material extraction to end-of-life management.

  • Waste minimization should be prioritized, along with recycling and reusing materials to the fullest extent possible.

  • The importance of product design and services cannot be overstated.

  • All forms of end-of-life management have environmental impacts. The goals must be to minimize those impacts to the extent practicable, considering resource and economic efficiency.