The IFA product stewardship initiative is now underway and IFA member companies are already participating by evaluating their PS management systems using the Protect & Sustain self-assessment manual. During 2011, companies that complete the self-assessment and independent validation will be recognized as an IFA Protect & Sustain Pioneer.
This web site is designed to provide information, background resources and useful tools to the IFA membership to help promote the broad adoption of sustainable product stewardship management in the industry.
Product stewardship is the development of safety, health, environmental (SHE) and security management throughout the lifespan of fertilizer products - from their initial development to their application in the field. To find out more about why product stewardship has become so important and how Protect&Sustain can help businesses manage it, visit the P&S Principles section of this web site.
A Clearly Structured Web Site
IFA's Protect & Sustain web site is divided into 5 parts: the three main themed areas of Principles, Resources and Participate; the news section, Update, in which this article is the first to be published; and My P&S a personalised area for all registered Protect&Sustain users to manage the way in which they use this web site.
For an overview of the site structure, visit the page “About protectandsustain.org” or just jump on in and start browsing…
The Principles section describes the reasoning behind IFA's product stewardship approach, the way it works, and the value to fertilizer businesses and the communities that they serve (including shareholders).
The Resources section is an aggregator of resources from around the world that will help product stewardship planning and management in all fertilizer businesses (regulations, directives, national and regional initiatives, case studies and testimonials and FAQs);
The Participate section provides the tools to help fertilizer businesses to evaluate their own performance, plan their product stewardship programme and move towards developing a level of safety, health, environmental and security performance that can be audited and recognized at a worldwide level.
Get Started!
Click the Get Started button on the home page or in the Participate section and you will be presented with a five step guide to registering with this programme to becoming a recognized and certified IFA Product Steward.