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Negotiated Outcomes for Carpet Stewardship
Building upon the work of the Midwestern Workgroup on Carpet Recycling, the Negotiated Outcomes process established national reuse and recycling goals and developed a plan to increase the recovery of waste carpet. The group met six times from March to October 2001, with broad representation from the carpet industry and government.
Participants
The negotiated outcomes process included representatives of many major carpet manufacturers and members of the carpet industry, federal and state governments, and one non-governmental organization.
Meetings were facilitated by Cat Wilt of the Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies, based at the University of Tennessee.
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Objectives
The Negotiated Outcomes Group intended to work out an agreement that would meet the goals of the industry-led approach described in the Midwestern Workgroup's product stewardship model for carpet. Manufacturers and government intented to develop a negotiated schedule for the eventual phase-out and elimination of land disposal and incineration of post-consumer carpet, in combination with increasing goals for recycling and reuse.
The group expected to develop an initial ten-year timeframe toward this goal of eliminating carpet disposal. The carpet industry was creating a third-party organization that would have the ultimate responsiblity for ensuring that these goals are achieved. The process focused on a flexible approach to meeting the goals for efficiency.
The negotiated outcomes process took into account many factors when setting goals, including current and planned market conditions and infrastructure, potential new products, opportunities for enhancing collection, and public sector solid waste policies that may impact carpet.
Outcomes
The workgroup finalized its efforts with the National Agreement on Carpet Recycling. This memorandum of understanding between the carpet industry and government establishes a ten-year plan to reduce the land disposal of waste carpet, with emphasis on a series of increasing goals for recycling and reuse.
The carpet industry has created Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), a third-party organization that will be responsible for meeting the goals set forth in negotiated outcomes process, and monitoring, assessing and reporting on progress. CARE will be funded and managed by carpet industry members.
Model procurement guidelines for carpet are in development. Public entities around the U.S. will adopt these guidelines, which will reward companies offering environmentally preferable products.