Page 74 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

Business Value Drivers 53

• What are the principal safety, health, and environmental (SHE) hazards?
• What competitive products may be substituted for ours? What are their
SHE hazards? What advantages do we have?
• Does the customer have our MSDS and product information?
Product and packaging use
• How does the customer use the product? For what purpose? Are there
unique or new users?
• Do any uses or handling raise potential SHE concerns?
• Do the customer’s employees have access to product information?
• Are the customer’s employees using recommended personal protective
equipment?
• Are recommended protective systems, including local ventilation, in
place?
• Has the customer done workplace monitoring? Should this be done?
• Is the product stored properly? Storage tanks labeled? Spill containment
facilities, e.g., dikes?
• Does the customer have emergency response procedures in place?
• What happens to product packaging? Is it reduced, reused, recycled?
Product issues
• Have there been any incidents involving our product? What was learned?
• Have allegations been made regarding health effects of the product?
Environmental effects?
• Any other issues associated with the product?
Product emissions and disposal
• Does any part of the product become waste? Regulated hazardous
waste? How is it disposed of?
• Is any part of the product discharged to a wastewater treatment system?
What is its fate?
• Are there any air emissions from the product’s use or disposal? What is
their fate?
• How do the discharges/emissions affect customer permits, compliance?
• How can we continuously reduce all emissions and waste?
Distributor questions
• Does the distributor open and repackage or blend our product?
• If so, answer relevant questions above for the distributor.
• Does the distributor provide product information to all customers? How
do we know this?
• Does the distributor visit customers to confirm proper use and disposal?
Other
• Can we help in SHE? (Waste management and minimization; SHE training).
• Does the potential exist for exposure to downstream users of our prod-
uct? If so, answer relevant questions above for downstream users.

TABLE 4.1 Product Stewardship Checklist Developed by DuPont