Most people have seen, at one time or another, ads for new children’s products or household/personal use products on the television, or online, with what appears to be an ‘amazing’ deal… those famous ‘limited time offers’ with the amazing deal to ‘purchase now and you’ll get two products for the price of one’.Shoppers need to keep in mind that it’s not always just about the ‘deal’.

When shopping online or via mail, shoppers need to keep in mind that some products may be prohibited in your home country and others still may have special safety requirements that are actually more strict than the safety requirements for the same product in other countries. The more you know about the health, environmental and user risks of the product you are about to purchase, the better you can protect the health and stability of both you and your family. If you do not practice responsible shopping, you can end up putting yourself and your family into some sticky situations.

One example of the consequences of not practicing responsible shopping is during the purchase of a children’s car seat in Canada. Perhaps you’ve seen an ad online for a really good deal on a car seat that is coming from the United States and you happen to live in Canada. Car seats for children are regulated by both Health Canada and Transport Canada, and must pass safety requirements specifically for Canada, which are not the same as those in the United States or any other country. Transport Canada on their website indicates the following warning with regards to purchasing car seats outside of Canada:

The use of non-compliant child seats may not only jeopardize children’s safety and pose a serious danger to the public, but it may also result in repercussions such as:

• Confiscation of the seat at the border or after it has entered Canada;
• Fines and/or demerit point penalties;
• Reduced or voided insurance coverage for injury or death; and
• Possible criminal charges and/or civil litigation

Additionally, if the seat is purchased outside of Canada and a recall notice is issued, the parent or caregiver may not be informed of the recall or have recourse against the manufacturer.

That online purchase of a car seat outside of Canada could open you and your family up to issues that you hadn’t even thought of, in the case of an accident.

Some tips for responsible shopping:

-       Check your individual country’s government websites for recalled products and hazard alerts before you buy.  Most government websites, particularly in Canada and the United States, issue country wide consumer product recalls and/or hazard alerts for unsafe products.   

-       Become familiar with your government’s websites for tips on safe consumer product use, aside from recall notices.

-       Ask.  Talk to or email the company/person you are going to purchase a product from and ask them if the product is in compliance with your country’s rules and regulations. If they are unsure, or they indicate that they do not ship the product to your country, that will give you a good clue there may be some sort of issue.

-       Read the label!  There are different types of labeling required for different consumer products in most countries. If you have made yourself familiar with your Government’s tips for safe consumer product use, then sometimes a label will give you obvious information on whether the product is in compliance with your country’s requirements (e.g. special symbols on some Canadian consumer chemical products).

For further information on tips for safe consumer product use, please consult the following websites:

Government of Canada, Healthy Canadians:

http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/init/hazards-risques-eng.php

United States Consumer Product Safety Commission:

http://www.cpsc.gov/

On September 13, 2011, PHMSA published the current 180-day special permit application list in the Federal Register. Under 49 U.S.C. 5117(c), PHMSA is required to give notice to the public of Special Permit applications which have been under review for issuance or renewal for longer than 180 days. The list includes initial Special Permit applications as well as modification, renewal, and party status requests. The reason(s) for delay and the expected completion date for action on each application is provided in association with each identified application. The full notice can be viewed at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-13/pdf/2011-22942.pdf

PHMSA also published HM-244D, a corrections document in the September 13, 2011 Federal Register. PHMSA annually reviews the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180) to identify typographical errors, outdated addresses or other contact information, and similar errors. In the final rule, PHMSA is correcting typographical errors, incorrect CFR references and citations, inconsistent use of terminology, misstatements of certain regulatory requirements, inadvertent omissions of information and outdated transition dates. The full Final Rule can be viewed at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-13/pdf/2011-23167.pdf

This is a first in Canada.

Montréal, September 15, 2011 – Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is pleased to announce the launch of the Voluntary Code for the Optimization of Containers, Packaging and Printed Matter intended for companies targeted by the curbside recycling compensation plan. Inspired from international experience, it is the Canadian industry’s first voluntary initiative. The Voluntary Code was developed by ÉEQ in cooperation with contributing companies and ecodesign experts.

Source: Éco Entreprises Québec’s Project page.

The Voluntary Code uses a progressive, two-phase approach to packaging optimization. The first phase addresses specific business sectors starting with the Food and Health & Beauty sectors, which produce 80% of packaged products marketed in Quebec. By 2015, all business sectors targeted by the compensation plan will be covered by the Voluntary Code, therefore providing all companies with a framework to optimize their containers, packaging and printed matter.

“Today’s market offers companies a whole array of packaging to choose from. Companies should make packaging choices that take into account the overall impact on recycling streams and, given their legal obligation to finance the net costs of municipal curbside recycling programs, it is in their interest to make wise choices. The Voluntary Code provides a framework for continuous improvement that is based on proven strategies. In addition, ÉEQ will provide companies with guidance as they develop their initiatives. The results of those efforts will be consolidated on a yearly basis and exemplary practices shared publicly,” said Maryse Vermette, ÉEQ President and CEO.

How it’s done: Three areas for action, seven proposed strategies:

The Voluntary Code uses a framework approach based on the life cycle of the packaged product and areas for action that focus on reduction at the source, ecodesign and recyclability. The proposed seven strategies guide companies in developing their optimization initiative: life cycle thinking, adopting responsible procurement criteria, improving the packaging/product ratio, designing for transport, improving the usage scenario, improving recyclability and communications.

We’re committed – We’re signing on!

The signatories of the Voluntary Code will lighten their environmental footprint by taking concrete individual action. “Voluntary measures are a better option because they encourage companies to take responsibility and implement improvements that are adapted to their individual reality. In addition, they can respond to consumer demand,” explained Denis Brisebois, ÉEQ Board Chairman.

The first signatories of the Voluntary Code are, in alphabetical order:

• A. Lassonde inc.
• Cascades Inc.
• Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
• Group Biscuits Leclerc Inc.
• Lavo Inc.
• Le Groupe Fruits & Passion
• Métro Richelieu inc.
• Olymel L.P.
• Provigo, member of Loblaw group
• Sobeys Québec
• Société des alcools du Québec

For more information, see ÉEQ’s website at: www.ecoentreprises.qc.ca.

About Éco Entreprises Québec
Éco Entreprises Québec is a private, non-profit organization. ÉEQ’s mission is to represent companies with regard to their responsibility to finance their share of the net costs of municipal curbside recycling, establish reasonable fees to ensure program financing and, in partnership with other stakeholders, promote efforts to increase the quantities of recovered materials through curbside recycling at the lowest possible cost.

Source:
Maryse Vermette
President and C.E.O.
Éco Entreprises Québec

The first week of October is designated as “Drive Safely Work Week”, an annual event from the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). The theme of the week is “Focus360°… Getting there safely is everyone’s business.”

Driver Safety Work Week Banner from The ToolKit

Whether the driver, a passenger, a pedestrian or cyclist, there are things we can do to help prevent distracted driving-related incidents. The most recent government study estimates that employee traffic crashes, on and off the job, cost employers $60 billion annually, according to NETS.

What would you say activity sheet from The ToolKit

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, NETS has developed a toolkit to help organizations implement an inclusive program for employees and families alike.

NETS says the toolkit will help employers “build a full-circle awareness of distracted driving to make prevention part of an everyday personal safety culture.” The U.S. Department of Transportation is trying to accomplish that, as well.

The toolkit is web-based, with downloadable activities and tools for each day of the week. It includes fact and tip sheets on the campaign’s issues, downloadable graphics, and Spanish-language materials that will be available in September.

Have you gone car shopping lately? Once you pull onto the car lot, there are many things that attempt to get your attention – shiny cars, big sales signs and air-pump-filled waving ‘things’. My focus is the cars. My focus is saving money. My focus is having as little impact on the environment as possible. Admittedly, a car is an expensive, necessary evil that once you see one, they all start blurring together.

Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) I can make a meaningful distinction between these blurry pieces of metal. Starting with model year 2013 a newly redesigned Fuel
Economy and Environment Label will provide the public with new information on vehicles’ fuel economy, energy use, fuel costs, and environmental impacts.

For the first time, comparable fuel economy and environmental ratings will be available for all new vehicles, including advanced technology vehicles such as plug-in hybrids, electric cars, and E85 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).

Transformative Overhaul

The new labels, are the most transformative overhaul in the 35-year history of EPA’s labeling program, and will provide more comprehensive fuel efficiency information and five-year fuel costs or savings compared to the average vehicle, as well as environmental impact information.

There are three reasons EPA and the DOT is revising the label. First, the labels will provide consumers with more information in order to help save money on fuel and cut down on harmful pollution.

With the growing numbers of advanced technology cars, especially electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the current labels are becoming outdated. The labels will also provide consumers with the specialized information they need about advanced technology vehicles as well as information to compare among all vehicle technology types. (As in, comparing apples to apples, folks.)

And lastly, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 required DOT and EPA to include additional information on the label, including ratings to allow comparisons specifically among fuel economy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and smog-forming pollutants. As a result, the new labels will include numeric scales that enable consumers to easily see how a particular vehicle compares to all others.

New Features

Specific features on the new Fuel Economy and Environment Labels include:

• New ways to compare energy use and cost between new-technology cars that use electricity and conventional cars that are gasoline-powered.
• Useful estimates on how much consumers will save or spend on fuel over the next five years compared to the average new vehicle.
• Easy-to-read ratings of how a model compares to all others for smog emissions and emissions of pollution that contribute to climate change.
• An estimate of how much fuel or electricity it takes to drive 100 miles.
• Information on the driving range and charging time of an electric vehicle.
• A QR Code® that will allow users of smartphones to access online information about how various models compare on fuel economy and other environmental and energy factors.

Cool Info, Facts and Figures

In addition, a new interactive tool at www.fueleconomy.gov will allow drivers to enter their zip code and estimate the greenhouse gas emissions from charging and driving a plug-in hybrid or electric car where they live.

The website also enables drivers of all types of vehicles to enter personalized information like local gas prices along with individual driving habits to get best possible cost and energy-use estimates.

For more information you can access the rule and related documents on EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) web site at:

www.epa.gov/carlabel/regulations.htm

To view the label designs for all vehicle types, visit the EPA website at:

www.epa.gov/carlabel/basicinformation.htm

Tell Me When

While consumers will see the new fuel economy and environment label on all new cars and light trucks in dealer showrooms starting with model year 2013 vehicles, manufacturers may voluntarily adopt the label for some or all of their 2012 model year vehicles.

Gaining Focus

Whereas a bicycle or moped would be more affordable and efficient, alas such an application is not practical in my climate. Thus, I must deal with the necessary ‘evil’ of vehicle transportation. The new fuel economy and environment label provides me with a fresh perspective on saving money and limiting harm to the environment.