During Steve Poplawski’s June presentation at the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois’ Hot Topics conference on the opportunities and challenges presented by current efforts to make the life cycle of plastics more sustainable, one of the challenges raised by the audience was whether corporate sustainability pledges to improve packaging were getting ahead of consumer acceptance. An article published by WasteDive focusing on McDonald’s green pilot restaurants in Canada, suggests there is a business case for risking being ahead of consumer acceptance on this issue as a way of being ahead of an inevitable curve promoted by efforts like Yelp’s piloting of sustainability scoring at restaurants.

In speaking to over 200 EHS professionals in Kansas City in April, Steve made a similar argument on doubling down on sustainability.  In that presentation, Steve made the case that it was to every company’s advantage to develop and own their individual corporate sustainability

PFAS are currently the subject of significant regulatory action, research, litigation, and public debate based on recent reports which claim that two PFAS, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (“PFOA”) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (“PFOS”), that were formerly used in a variety of industries may be carcinogens or reproductive toxicants. Several states have begun investigating and regulating the levels of PFAS in drinking water, and in some cases, for example Minnesota and New York, have sued manufacturers of the chemicals themselves or products that historically contained PFOA and PFOS, bringing claims for the recovery of natural resource damages, trespass, nuisance, and negligence.

EPA has historically addressed these chemicals through a stewardship program under which the companies that manufactured PFOA and PFOS agreed to voluntarily stop their production, and companies that used PFOA and PFOS agreed to stop importing them. Now, however, Acting Administrator Wheeler is under increasing bipartisan pressure to take federal regulatory action.

Into the