By Ted Fischer
November 19, 2001

For years, MWMA has been leading the way towards a more comprehensive shared responsibility initiative. During the 2001 Fall Summit, attendees explored new and innovative shared responsibility programs from private sector companies. Doug Wilcox from 3M discussed their "Life Cycle" program, which challenges the company to embrace shared responsibility from product inception. The Life Cycle program looks to meet four primary objectives: prevent excess at the source when possible, develop products that will have minimal environmental effect, conserve resources trough reclamation and develop internal assurances that the facilities are environmentally friendly.

The "Life Cycle" program focuses on a series of questions about products and product methods to assure the reduction of waste. Can material production be reduced? Can other ways of packaging be more environmentally friendly? What is the intended use of the product? What materials are released into the environment when the product is recycled or broken down? The Life Cycle Management process is a tool 3M successfully uses to promote shared responsibility from research and development through production and marketing.

Applied Materials Corporation also participated in the plenary session. The company is the leading producer of Semi Conductor Wafers which are used in the production of computer processors and electronic equipment. Safety Director Robert Tamble discussed the change in production methods Applied Materials is undergoing in an effort to more fully participate in shared responsibility. Applied Materials established a recycling program that takes a critical look at how the company is processing metallic wafers and how they can prevent environmental damage due to excess and chemical waste. Goals for the initiative include executive level buy in, identify and prioritize current waste systems and develop an internal recycling process. Critical to the success of the initiative is communication about and training for new procedures. Applied Materials created flyers, an interactive web site, bilingual training sessions and an internal newsletter with updates.

Both 3M and Applied Materials are proud of their shared responsibility initiatives and continue to monitor and track results, implement and review new policy and procedures and education consumers about their programs. For more information on MWMA's shared responsibility initiatives or copies of the presentations or handouts from the session, please log on to www.usmayors.org/mwma.