December 6, 2019: Lead metal and lead battery manufacturing organizations have come together in a determined effort to hit back at negative media reports on lead battery pollution via a ‘Material Stewardship Program’, ILA head Andy Bush told delegates at the ILZDA forum on December 2.

The ILA, EUROBAT, Battery Council International and the Association of Battery Recyclers have agreed to work together to improve global health, safety and environmental performance in the lead battery supply chain.

“Media reports are damaging our credibility and increasingly being used as a justification for restricting lead” said Bush. “There is also concern from end users who care about their reputation and don’t want to be associated with a product being portrayed in such a negative way.

“In response, associations have agreed to work on developing a global stewardship programme that will address the issues of greatest concern to stakeholders.”

The key aspirations of the stewardship programme are:

• To promote responsible sourcing

• Encourage continuous improvement in the EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) performance of member companies

• Encourage producer responsibility

• Provide support to improve EHS performance in low and middle-income countries

• Enhance transparency by reporting progress to stakeholders.

The associations are working on a collective commitment to the guidelines in the programme, Bush said.

The programme calls for a voluntary, industry-wide commitment to reduce blood lead levels of workers and offer support to lower and middle-income countries in achieving the same standards.

“The lead and lead battery industries alone can’t solve the problem, but we have to recognize we have a bigger role to play than we are playing at the moment,” he said.