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G21-P018 Require Environmental Accountability for Products and Services
Submitter Name
Paul Graham
Ratification Vote Results: Adopted
Proposal
The GPC supports requiring producers of all kinds to include the cost of environmental cleanup and the disposal and/or decommissioning of all elements of products, including production plant and packaging, in the costs of these products and requiring producers to organise said disposal and clean up.
Objective
To reduce environmental damage by holding entities financially accountable for environmental damage attributable to their activities and/or products.
Benefit
This will encourage businesses and organizations to conduct their affairs in an environmentally sustainable way and to repair any environmental damage they do.
Supporting Comments from Submitter
The Polluter Pays Principle was first formally articulated in 1972 by the Council of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=OCDE/GD(92)81&docLanguage=En)
The principle is a component of Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests, adopted by 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992. (
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/outcomedocuments/agenda21)
The principle is a core element of the 2010 Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention, which is in the process of ratification. (
https://www.hnsconvention.org)
The principle is an element of United States and European Union environmental law. (
https://definitions.uslegal.com/p/polluter-pays-principle/ and https://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/law/pdf/principles/2%20Polluter%20Pays%20Principle_revised.pdf)
While Canada’s Supreme Court has ruled that bankrupt oil companies are liable for clean up costs, such companies may lack the resources. Hence, legislative and regulatory measures are required to ensure companies are prepared to meet their obligations. (
Green Value(s)
Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Social Justice
Relation to Existing Policy
Add to current GPC policy.
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