Requests for Comments r PA is accepting comments on the October 2,1991, notice. Comments must be received on or before December 31,1991. A public meeting will be held on November 13-14, 1991, in Washington, DC. For More Information "or additional information or to order a copy of the Federal Register notice, contact the RCRA Hotline, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST. The national toll-free number is (800) 424-9346; TDD (800) 553-7672 (hear- ing impaired). In Washington, DC, the num- ber is (703) 920-9810; TDD (703) 486-3323. Copies of documents applicable to this guidance may be obtained by writing: RCRA Information Center (RIC), U.S. Environmen- tal Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste (OS-305), 401M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460. ( • Follow the American Paper Institute's (API's) guidance that uses different versions of the emblem for recycled content and for recyclable material. • Label the recycling emblem to indicate whether the product contains recycled content or is recyclable or both. The Agency prefers a combination of the first and last options. AH "Recyclable" Emblem AH "Recycled Content" Emblem Definitions for Recycling Terms /PA also has proposed definitions for certain recycling terms to serve as guidance for marketers and consumers. Along with other terms, these include: • Recycled Content—The portion of a material's or product's weight that is composed of pre- and post-consumer materials. • Recyclable — Products ormaterials that can be recovered from or other- wise diverted from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling. United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA/530-SW-91-072A October 1991 Office of Solid Waste (OS-305) c/EPA Proposed Guidance on the Use of Environmental Marketing Terms Printed on Recycled Paper ------- "ver the past several years, the lack of commonly understood meanings for terms used in environmental marketing claims has confused many consumers and manufacturers alike. The same claims are sometimes used by different manufacturers and consumers to mean different things. In addition, some labels promote a single attribute of a product, such as "recycled," while others make more generalized claims, such as "safe for the environment" or "environmen- tally friendly." Recognizing the lack of uniform definitions for environmental marketing terms, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—working with other federal agencies—intends to provide guidance on those terms and on their use to help educate consumers and advise marketers. The first terms ad- dressed will be related to recycling solid waste materials. ?A is considering a number of options regarding voluntary national guidance for use in product labeling and advertising to promote the use of recycled and recyclable materials. EPA published a notice in the federal Register on October 2,1991, requesting comments on these options. The Federal Trade Commision (FTC) held hearings in July 1991 to determine whether to develop enforceable guidelines covering the use of environmental market- ing claims. In the interest of providing uniform guidance, if FTC decides to develop guidelines in the future, EPA will share with FTC the information collected from this notice. If FTC decides not to develop guide- lines, EPA will publish final recommenda- '' tions as guidance to industry and consumers. I For "recycled content," the options are: i! i; • Marketers clearly and prominently I state the percentage of recycled content | by weight of recycled materials in the | product. • Marketers promote recycled content only when a product meets a specified minimum percentage of recycled material. • Marketers use a combination of the above methods. EPA prefers the first option. For "recyclable," the options are: • Marketers promote the recyclability of a product only when the product is recycled at a certain minimum percent- age nationally and the product promi- nently discloses the national recovery rate for the material or product. • Marketers use only qualified daims that do not lead consumers to assume that the product is recyclable every- where and that provide consumers with information that helps them recycle the material. • Marketers use a combination of quali- ified claims and disclosure of the national recycling rate. • Marketers promote the recyclability of a product only when the product is re- cycled at a certain minimum percent- age nationally. They must also use qualified claims and disclose the national recycling rate of the product. EPA's preferred option is that marketers use a combination of qualified claims and disclosure of the national recycling rate to advertise the recyclability of products. he familiar recycling emblem (three I chasing arrows) is commonly used by mar- keters on products to show both recyclability and recycled content. In some cases, it is used in conjunction with more generalized claims, like "environmentally friendly." The Agency feels more guidance on the proper use of the emblem is needed to increase the effectiveness of its use for recy- ] cling, and to ensure that consumers under- • stand its meaning. EPA is considering three ) options for using the recycling emblem: I • Limit the use of the emblem to claims regarding the use of recycled content and recyclability. (Continued on backpand) ------- |