Product stewardship is an approach to design and produce products and services with sustainability and compliance in mind. The approach starts with a top-down commitment to sustainability across the product portfolio, operations and services. Organizations need to develop a stewardship framework to guide and implement the transition to a sustainable, low-emissions portfolio and operate within planetary boundaries by e.g., introducing circular solutions. ´

As highlighted in the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) initiative to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic waste pollution by 2024, the key elements of the required transformation are rethinking and redesigning products; reusing, recycling, reorienting and diversifying markets; and addressing the plastic pollution legacy. 

In the presentation, we will discuss sustainable product portfolio management in the context of a topical case example from the packaging industry. In Europe, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will be a key driver of change throughout the packaging industry as compliance will be obligatory – focusing on sustainability is no longer optional, it’s mandatory. The new PPWR aims to achieve significant waste reduction targets, having major implications not only on product design but also on packaging consumption.