How to Practice Product Stewardship

One aspect that should be considered when shopping responsibly for really natural products is product stewardship. Product stewardship involves looking at the lifecycle of a product, from manufacturing to disposal. The Environmental News Network offers eight tips for practicing product stewardship:

1. Stay Informed-find out what companies are doing to reduce their carbon footprints and reduce their use of harmful chemicals. 
   
2. Spend Some Dough-sustainably produced products cost more money.
3. Locate Your Products-shop locally, such as at a farmers' market, to avoid buying goods that have been transported thousands of miles. 
   
4. Check the ingredients-read the labels!  Remember, natural and organic are marketing terms without clear definitions on the US, especially for beauty products.
5. Reduce Your Packaging-Look for products with less packaging and use canvas shopping bags at every store you shop, not just the grocery store.
   
6. Recycle
7. Take Advantage of Take Backs-Many companies offer to dispose of old products for you, especially electronics.
   
8. Close the Loop-purchase product with high percentages of post-consumer recycled content.
   

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Posted by Jennifer Lance at February 12, 2008 6:27 AM