CSA SPE-890-15

1.1 Objectives This Guideline has been developed to aid primary and secondary service providers and to establish a set of common definitions, performance metrics, and reporting requirements in support of best practices in the management of end-of-life (EOL) materials. In addition to providing a consistent framework that will allow for more effective and informed decision making on EOL management options, this Guideline facilitates a rigorous, transparent, and accountable materials management system that provides for greater assurance regarding the management of these materials, from the point of collection through to final disposition. It describes a method to account for and verify these flows (serving to improve data accuracy) and identifies the key elements of a data verification audit. This Guideline provides a transparent means to support the move to a more circular economy*. Unlike the linear model, which is based on a ‘take-make-consume and dispose’ pattern of growth, a circular economy keeps resources within the economy, optimizing resource reuse potential and creating further value. * See European Commission, Towards a Circular Economy. 1.2 Target audience The primary audiences for this Guideline are current and prospective service providers with responsibilities for ensuring the proper management of EOL materials*. This Guideline is designed to promote environmental performance and innovation, while ensuring that service providers operate on equal standing and according to consistent reporting and accountability requirements. * This includes waste transfer facilities, which may act as a primary or secondary service provider. The secondary audience of this Guideline includes waste generators [municipal and industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI)], stewards and manufacturers, or both, who want assurance that they are properly addressing the EOL management of their products, including guidance on best practices to reduce the negative environmental impacts of their waste management practices. While not directly applicable, this Guideline also benefits provincial and local governments, who are responsible for regulating, approving, and overseeing recycling facilities, as well as ensuring the implementation of effective recycling programs. Other beneficiaries include policy makers and citizen activists, researchers and academics interested in recycling standards, guides, and best practices, as well as the general public, who want assurances that their products and packaging are properly managed at EOL, without risk to human health or the environment. The answer to the question “What’s in it for me?” is different for each stakeholder. In other words, it is important to understand that each stakeholder group will have different interests and stakes in this Guideline according to the benefits they derive from its use. For example, provincial regulatory agencies responsible for setting collection and recycling targets will have a different use for this Guideline compared to a service provider using it to improve their respective competitiveness. Table 1 outlines the applicability of this Guideline to various stakeholder groups.