The debate about reforming pollution controls, unfortunately, has mostly been about means. Little is said about the goals toward which those particular instruments should be directed. Regulatory reinvention proposals that include goals tend to present them in such vague terms as to be almost useless. Congress should expressly foster ecologically efficient production through pollution prevention, energy conservation, and other means. Such goals would be directly related to the performance that is being sought, easily understood by the public, and precise enough to provide a meaningful dialogue among affected parties.
Products can pollute, both during proper use and after they are discarded.
Products also use energy and materials. The rapid technical obsolescence of personal computers and the approaching retirement of an entire generation of old televisions as high definition television comes into prominence are two of the most obvious examples. In addition to manufacturers, these would include designers, suppliers, and users of products. This kind of systematic thinking is essential for sustainable industry. The most sustainable approach will thus differ from product to product, but two things seem reasonably clear.