In 1993 The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept was great for our business... In 2023 it can be amazing for yours

In 1980 my wife Liz and I founded Valiant Paper & Packaging in Secaucus, New Jersey.

In 1992 Valiant was a distributor of Mobil Chemical's Stretch film, a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) film. Valiant sold stretch film to distribution companies, food processors, and anyone packing product on pallets that needed containment.

In 1991 Mobil introduced the "Take it Back" program. Mobil distributors were asked to pick up used stretch film, take it back to their warehouse, remove contamination, bale it, and ship it to TREX, a manufacturer of plastic lumber where it was made into plastic decking.

This was my introduction into a closed loop, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept. Mobil created this program in response to the growing environmental issue of packaging solid waste and particularly stretch films.

Valiant Paper was located a few miles away from the Staten Island Fresh Kills and NJ Meadowlands landfills, two of the largest in the world. Landfills were part of our landscape. Growing up in metro NY or NJ in the 70's and 80's you quickly learned about their adverse effects. If you've flown into Laguardia or Newark airports you have flown right over them.?

I quickly jumped in with both feet and very often that meant literally into dumpsters. I showed my customers that we could save them dumpster charges ($500-1000 per week) while doing the right thing for our environment. This was a huge win/win. They saved money and they helped the environment. This was also my introduction into sustainable packaging.

Valiant customers would place the used film into a large bag and bin system (provided by Valiant), rather than into a dumpster. We would then pick up the bags of used film when we delivered an order.

When vendors bring a unique value, cost savings and environmental benefits, companies want to do business with them. There was an internal cost, "a fee", for us to pick up, clean, and bale the film. However our customers were not charged for this service, provided they continued to purchase new Mobil Stretch film from Valiant. With this program Valiant's business increased, we covered all the extra costs and our sales grew. Government organizations began to take notice and asked us to speak to others about our program. Word spread that Valiant Paper, a small packaging distributor in Northern NJ was doing something unique and good for the environment. We had 1/2 page articles featuring our program printed in Newsweek and Time magazines and new customers came on board.

I learned that Extended Producer Responsibility can be achieved either through a self created closed loop system like Mobil's or a legislated fee system that in 1993 was being proposed in Europe and only talked about in the U.S. The "Take It Back" program was a closed loop system. Valiant and Mobil Chemical were the "producer/sellers" of stretch film. Valiant believed that we were not only responsible for selling and delivering new stretch film to the user, we also had the responsibility to keep as much as possible out of the landfill and turn the used film into another product.?The two steps are not mutually exclusive. Hence the term?Extended?Producer Responsibility or EPR. Our upstream responsibility now?EXTENDED?downstream into the packaging waste.

Valiant Paper began participating in this program in 1992. In late 1994 we were honored by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection with an Outstanding Achievement award in Recycling for Market Development. Over a 2.5 year period we were able to divert over 600,000 pounds of used stretch film from NJ landfills.?

So here we are, 2023, 30 years later and EPR legislation has passed in 4 states (Colorado, California, Oregon and Maine) and is being considered in many others.?

30 years later and sustainable programs can still be great for business as it was for Valiant Paper in 1993. Even more so today with the need being so great and everyone talking about sustainability.

That's why I'm a strong EPR advocate and on a Sierra Club committee here in Tennessee to draft EPR legislation that we hope will be pass in 2023.

It's still great for business and for the environment in 2023, just as it was in 1993 and I've seen it firsthand!

Footnote -After 15 years of 12-14 hour days, 5-6 days a week, Liz and I agreed that it was time to spend more time with our family and we sold Valiant Paper. The new owners continued the "Take it Back" program through 1996 and then decided it was not feasible to continue. I have continued to focus on sustainable packaging throughout my career.