Realignment of product stewardship towards chemical regulations, the circular economy and corporate social responsibility - A delphi study

Abstract

Chemical regulations exist to limit and control the amount of hazardous chemical substances being used by industry. Increasing awareness of diminishing natural resources, increasing pollution, and reducing the amounts of harmful waste, has led towards increasing societal and regulatory pressure on industry to change from the traditional closed-loop manufacturing towards the adoption of sustainable materials and open-loop manufacturing systems as part of the Circular Economy. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) extends the relationship between industry and society. Product Stewardship (PS) provides a platform for organizations to assess impacts to manufacturing systems ensuring adequate measures are in place to understand, control or limit any impact(s) from manufacturing and using products. The research question answered in this paper relates to understanding the impacts on PS. This paper has been written based on a literature review and Delphi study. The outcomes from this paper will attempt to outline a framework for PS to align with Chemical Regulations, the Circular Economy and CSR.