Facilitating a Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Materials Management
The ask: The Sustainable Materials Management Coalition —a public-private partnership of business, academia, environmental, community organizations, and state and local governments—needed technical support to help organizations consider the full range of environmental impacts products have throughout their lives.
The solution: MDB assigned Senior Vice President Tim Fields, a former EPA assistant administrator, to chair the Coalition and facilitate group discussions, as well as report development. MDB also provided meeting logistics, report drafting, and web hosting for the Coalition.
Notable outcomes: The Coalition issued its first report in 2012 entitled “Sustainable Materials Management: A New Materials Hierarchy, Solutions to Barriers, and Recommendations for a Path Forward,” which provided practical advice to various groups on how to incorporate life cycle thinking into materials management decisions.
A second report came in 2014 titled “Guidance on Life-Cycle Thinking and Its Role in Environmental Decision Making,” which is intended to help governments and businesses make more informed decisions as they seek to buy greener and safer products
The Coalition issued a third report in 2016 which supports a national goal of reducing the negative environmental impact of materials use across their entire lifecycle. The report stresses the importance of reduced waste generation and increased recycling in reducing materials use and adverse environmental impacts. It also outlines findings and recommendations on how to reduce the environmental impact of materials use.
Download the press release, “Sustainable Materials Management Coalition Report Will Help Reduce the Environmental Impact of Materials Use.”
Download the Sustainable Materials Management Coalition’s 2016 report, “Reducing the Environmental Impact of Materials Use.”
Download the Letter of Support from Mathy Stanislaus, EPA Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management.
