Product stewardship in action

A new book by Helen Lewis will draw on interviews with industry and government experts to provide a practical and thought-provoking guide to product stewardship. Called ‘Product stewardship in action: The business case for ecodesign and extended producer responsibility’, the book is expected to be published by Greenleaf (UK) in late 2015.

The concept of ‘extended producer responsibility’ has been widely discussed in government reports and academic papers. This book fills a gap for practitioners by exploring a wider range of stewardship strategies including design for sustainability, supply chain initiatives and product take-back. The book has a strong focus on product stewardship from a corporate perspective, using industry case studies to identify the drivers for change, successful business strategies and the benefits of voluntary action. It also considers the role of government regulation and new regulatory models that combine voluntary actions with government oversight.

Helen has been closely involved in stewardship programs for plastics, packaging and batteries. She is the part-time CEO of the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative (ABRI) and has been closely involved in the design and implementation of the Australian Packaging Covenant. Helen has co-authored two books: Design + Environment, Greenleaf, 2001 (with John Gertsakis); and Packaging for Sustainability, Springer, 2012 (with Karli Verghese and Leanne Fitzpatrick).