Stewardship Action Foundation

About the Stewardship Action Foundation (SAF)

VISION

Educating for an equitable, circular economy.

MISSION

A vehicle to educate and collaborate with public, private, and non-profit stakeholders to achieve an equitable, circular economy in the United States.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At the Stewardship Action Foundation (SAF), we firmly believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only essential to our mission but are also intrinsic values that we uphold in all aspects of our work to advance the equitable, circular economy.

WHO IS THE STEWARDSHIP ACTION FOUNDATION?

In January 2021, the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Stewardship Action Foundation (SAF) was formed to educate the public about an equitable, circular economy. SAF was formed as an affiliated non-profit organization to the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC) that primarily conducts education and outreach work to support NSAC's policy work.

The Stewardship Action Foundation and the National Stewardship Action Council are affiliated non-profit organizations that work together to advance an equitable, circular economy in the United States by reducing waste, keeping materials in motion, and regenerating natural systems. These organizations align the public and private sectors through information and partnerships to implement and ensure circular systems where producers have an appropriate share of the responsibility for those systems.

INITIATIVES OF THE STEWARDSHIP ACTION FOUNDATION

In 2021, SAF kick-off projects focused on "truth in labeling". When products are mislabeled and greenwashed, consumers cannot make informed purchasing decisions. SAF shared educational materials and aligned key stakeholders to increase public awareness on "truth in labeling". NSAC was successful at passing Truth in Labeling legislation AB 818 (Bloom) in California in 2021 to ensure wipes that were not flushable are clearly labeled with the words, “DO NOT FLUSH”. This led to the introduction of The WIPPES Act, which promotes "truth in labeling" at the national level.

NSAC was successful at sponsoring SB 343 (Allen) in 2021 in California which defined what is “recyclable” and can use the chasing arrows symbol. SB 343, the most important bill passed in the waste management industry in the US in 2021, led to other states considering adopting similar policies, such as Maryland.

SAF worked hard to promote these new definitions and requirements and held webinars and workshops for producers, retailers, governments, and advocates addressing the many issues around truth in labeling of products regarding toxicity, recyclability, recycled content, flushability, and more. To learn about SAF's current educational priorities, click here.