Producer Responsibility

The focus on product attributes and supply chains instead of owned and operated facilities is the emerging principle for a new generation of public policies and campaigns which can generically referred to as ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’.  Legislation in this area includes the European RoHS and WEEE Directives, and other analogous regulations now being adopted in the rest of the world.

WSP offers product and supply chain program management services as a globally-integrated, interdisciplinary partner to our multinational clients.  We improve our clients’ businesses by reducing market access risk and improving productivity.  We do this by identifying and implementing cost-effective, best-in-class solutions to business problems in the area of product and supply chain management associated with environmental or social issues.  We help our clients address risk and identify opportunities throughout the product lifecycle.

Through our work, we assure our clients’ global market access.  Our clients are the most successful businesses in their chosen market segments. 

We offers our clients the technical depth of an engineering consultant and regulatory advisor combined with the strategic planning and insights of a management consulting firm and local insights from throughout our worldwide network of offices.

How we assist clients

Combining our global reach with our in-depth understanding of product and supply chain performance, WSP Environment & Energy assists producers and suppliers facing wide-spread organizational change to comply pro-actively with new legislation and market requirements.   We do this by assisting clients to:

• Determine how your organization is specifically affected by the emerging agenda of environmental and social issues associated with products and supply chains
• Determine what legislation specifically applies and in which global markets
• Identify and act upon design opportunities, including recyclability performance and options for improvement, energy-efficiency, and hazardous material reduction or substition
• Support cost-effective implementation of ‘take-back’ and recycling programs
• Anticipate and meet financial requirements
• Update and optimize business process changes
• Identify software needs, define business requirements, and evaluate software options
• Implement global product and packaging labeling requirements
• Report and efficiently gather compliance data

Supplier management

To address environmental and social issues effectively, companies need to engage their supplier chain.  WSP Environment & Energy frequently works with an organization’s supply chain by:

• Developing supply chain management programs
• Coaching and training the supplier base
• Auditing suppliers
• Assisting suppliers on environmental management, eco-design and reporting.

Training and eco-design

Communication of the requirements of the new legislation to management, staff and suppliers is essential.  WSP Environment & Energy deliver a range of EPR awareness courses covering areas such as Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment, Restriction of Hazardous Substances, End of Life Vehicles, Registration Evaluation Authorization of Chemicals, and environmental management and social responsibility workshops.

We can also support organizations that are managing environmental impacts through Design for the Environment and Disassembly, which offer them competitive advantages.  We assist our clients in this area by advising on issues such as eco-labelling, environmental impact and performance assessments, recycling and repair analysis, and resource and energy reduction audits.