Fighting for the Brand of
Zero Waste
GRRN National Zero Waste Action Conference
July 30, 2011, San Diego, CA
By Gary Liss & Associates
916-652-7850 gary@garyliss.com; www.garyliss.com
What is Zero Waste Brand?
What is Zero Waste Brand?
What is Zero Waste Brand?
What is Zero Waste Brand?
What is Zero Waste Brand?
Zero Waste: Ride the
Wave to Sustainability
RECAPTURE R3
Zero Waste =
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Definition of Zero Waste*
Zero
Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical,
efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their
lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural
cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to
become resources for others to use.
Zero Waste means designing and managing products
and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the
volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve
and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.
Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all
discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to
planetary, human, animal or plant health.
* www.zwia.org/standards.html
GLOBAL PRINCIPLES FOR
ZERO WASTE COMMUNITIES
www.zwia.org
ZWIA Principles and Practical
Steps Towards Zero Waste
1. Adopt ZWIA Zero Waste definition
2. Establish goals and timeline
3. Engage the whole community
4. Manage Resources not Waste
5. Program Funding
6. Education & Outreach
7. Zero Waste Assessments
ZWIA Principles (cont.)
8. Residual Separation & Research
Facilities
9. End Subsidies for Wasting
10. Zero Waste Businesses
GRRN KEYS TO ZERO WASTE
11. New Rules and Incentives
12. Extended Producer Responsibility
13. Zero Waste Procurement
14. Zero Waste Infrastructure
Zero Waste Business Principles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Commitment to the triple bottom line
Use Precautionary Principle
Zero Waste to landfill or incineration
Responsibility: Takeback Products and Packaging
Buy reused, recycled & composted
Prevent pollution and reduce waste
Highest and best use
Use economic incentives for customers, workers
and suppliers
Products or services sold are not wasteful or toxic
Use non-toxic production, reuse and recycling
processes
Source: ZW International Alliance, www.zwia.org
Highest and Best Uses
End Subsidies for Wasting
Clean Production and EPR
Reduce, Refuse & Return
Reuse
Recycle
Regulate
Not OK: Incineration and
Subtitle D Landfills
Why is this Important?

Defines Acceptable Technologies and
Measurable Outcomes
 Defines Who We Are and What We Want
 Some say Zero Waste has many
Definitions – We need to say there’s only
one peer reviewed, internationally
accepted definition of Zero Waste: ZWIA
 Gandhi said... “First they laugh at you,
then they ignore you, then they get mad at
you, then they join you.”
Fighting for the Brand

Adopt ZWIA Definition in Goals and Plans
 Adopt ZWIA Definition of Zero Waste as a goal
in business and community Zero Waste
Strategic Plans
 Include ZWIA Definition of Zero Waste as a
goal in Sustainability or Climate Change Plans
Fighting for the Brand

ZWIA International Dialogue, May 6-9 2012,
Toronto on Fighting for the Brand
 Existing Programs & Models from other fields

ZWIA Certification Process






ZW Communities
ZW Businesses
ZW Facilities
ZW Events
ZW Certification Programs
ZW Professionals
Fighting for the Brand
 ZWIA Website
 ZWIA Listserv – To join must agree to
ZWIA Standards
 List of Zero Waste Communities
 In Future, need to add:


List of Zero Waste Businesses
Sign-on to Support ZWIA Zero Waste
Definition and Principles
If you’re not for Zero Waste,
how much waste are you for?