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Public Research Works (PRW) is a Texas non-profit research and public education
organization established in 1997. PRW's primary mission is to empower people
to protect the public health through a cleaner environment, and promote
increased access to the governmental policy-making process so that people
and community groups can help shape the decisions that affect their lives.
PRW is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID number 74-2808805;
all contributions to PRW are 100% tax-deductible. PRW is also a participating
organization in Earth Share of Texas, which represents leading environmental
and conservation groups in payroll contribution plans across the state.
Our current focus is on solid waste and recycling solutions for the
21st century. Today, our production and disposal system for products is
clearly unsustainable both in terms of the resources consumed, including
energy, and the wastes created at every stage in the process.
One key way to conserve resources and limit waste during mining for
the virgin materials, production and the end of life is to recycle.
However, much of the recyclability of a product is determined in the
design phase. Currently, the producers who design products have no role
in the recycling and end of life of their product which is left up to
local governments and creative individuals who try to recycle an item
that was usually not designed with recycling in mind.
Our goal is to create a system in which products are designed to
be recycled by having producers responsible for the end of life of their
goods. With producer takeback, manufacturers are competing on the basis
of how efficiently their products can be recycled, not just how
efficiently they can be produced and marketed. These products should be
designed so they are infinitely recyclable or compostable. This approach
is often called "Cradle to Cradle," in contrast to the typical solid
waste management approach of "Cradle to Grave."
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