Product Stewardship Institute Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

PSI staff, board directors, members, and partners continued to advance EPR programs in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. PSI staff provided technical support, facilitated stakeholder engagement, mediated policy discussions, conducted research, and provided expert testimony that kept our team at the forefront of policy development, capacity building, and education. The results include the enactment of 4 new battery EPR laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, and New York, and 2 new packaging EPR laws in Maryland and Washington. PACKAGING: PSI continued to serve as facilitator for the Colorado packaging EPR advisory board, ensuring that all stakeholder groups have ongoing input into the program; in fiscal year 2025 the focus was review and recommendation on the PRO's program plan and an individual program plan. Additionally, PSI launched the Packaging EPR Harmonization Task Force, which convened about 75 stakeholders including producers, regulators, industry associations and the PRO in discussions to develop a model for key elements of packaging EPR that can help make laws more consistent from state to state. In other efforts to help producers navigate compliance with packaging EPR, PSI conducted a five-part webinar series "Preparing Producers for Oregon Packaging EPR" in partnership with Circular Action Alliance and Oregon DEQ. We also collaborated with PARTSLIFE and the Auto Care Association to provide EPR compliance toolkits and two educational webinars to companies in the automotive aftermarket. PSI also conducted several webinars on packaging EPR and held an ongoing national packaging policy workgroup for government members to advance EPR initiatives. BATTERIES, VAPES, HHW, PHARMS, SHARPS: PSI continued to collaborate with Boulder County, Colorado (a PSI member) to advance stakeholder education, infrastructure, and management solutions for vape product waste, a growing environmental concern. PSI also launched similar work in Missouri on vapes, and ran semi-annual campaigns educating the public about safe medicine and medical sharps disposal in Missouri and Oklahoma, directing residents to authorized take-back locations through our GIS map. Additionally, PSI also provided technical support to members developing vapes, HHW, and battery EPR legislation, which resulted in bills introduced in numerous states and battery EPR laws enacted in Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, and New York, and introduced in numerous other states. PSI also held monthly strategic policy development calls with government members on battery policy, fostering dialogue and advancing EPR initiatives. EDUCATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING: PSI hosted the 2025 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum in Chicago, Illinois, welcoming nearly 200 attendees from across the country and around the world. The event convened experts from industry, government, and environmental groups to discuss and collaborate on pressing EPR topics. Throughout the year, PSI distributed monthly EPR-focused newsletters and press releases, keeping nearly 14,000 stakeholders informed on major developments in EPR policy. PSI also served as a key resource for journalists, contributing information to dozens of articles on EPR. Additionally, PSI spoke at dozens of conferences, meetings, and webinars on EPR across various waste streams, providing education to policymakers, industry representatives, government officials, environmental groups, and waste and recycling professionals. As PSI looks ahead, the organization remains committed to collaborating with state and local governments, businesses, and environmental organizations to further expand EPR initiatives, drive waste reduction, improve recycling systems, and promote sustainable product design.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 64.9%; rating input score 65
• Program expense ratio: 62.9%; rating input score 63
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -3.3%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.27; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.61; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 26.6%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings