In July, the Product Stewardship Society Board of Directors approved our new strategic plan for 2022–2027. The new plan is an evolution of our current strategic plan. Some elements of the current plan are still very much relevant and carry forward, while other elements have been revised and strengthened. New elements have also been added to reflect the ever-changing role of product stewardship and the growing needs of product stewards, which we’ll detail in future posts. In this post, I’d like to walk through the process for creating the new plan and highlight some of the high-level changes.

The new plan was drafted by a volunteer-led task force of individuals from various career stages, cultural backgrounds, and industries and included Board representatives, Society members, and staff. The Society members were identified through an open call for volunteers. The task force members are:

• Lynn Bergeson (co-chair)
• Kate Sellers, PE (co-chair)
• John Hott, PhD
• Kevin Kransler, PhD, DABT, CPPS
• Denise Van Valkenburg, PE, LEED AP
• Tina Armstrong, PhD
• Victoria Fedor, CPPS
  
• Dimitri Hollis, CPPS
• Mark Jackson, CPPS
• Lesa Rice-Jackson, PhD, CPPS
• Colleen Manning, CAE
• Jennifer Newell
• Adam Seery, CAE

Taking on the task of developing a strategic plan - during a global pandemic no less - is a feat, and I would like to recognize and thank the task force members for providing their expertise, diverse perspectives, and time to this key initiative.

Following a review of our current strategic plan, the status of programs and activities that support the current plan, and the findings from our member and professional needs survey conducted earlier this year, the task force recommended adjustments to various elements of the plan, including the Society’s mission and vision statements.

The mission statement, which conveys the Society’s reason for being, has been updated to strengthen our purpose. Below, the revisions to the mission statement appear in bold:

The Product Stewardship Society empowers professionals to achieve responsible design, development, and management of products throughout their life cycle.

The vision statement communicates the Society’s aspirations and is meant to convey a future-perfect state of being. The vision statement has been enhanced as well:

A world of safe, trusted, and sustainable products.

The new strategic plan retains two of the previous plan’s “domains,” or focus areas: Community and Professional Development. The Awareness domain has been relabeled "Promotion" to reflect a desire to extend beyond just awareness of the profession to promote the essential nature and recognized value of product stewardship, product stewards, and the Product Stewardship Society. With a future-forward mindset, a new Thought Leadership domain has been added to embrace innovation and positive change and advance the practice of product stewardship.

Each domain includes a set of strategic objectives along with strategies to achieve those objectives. Key performance indicators for each domain are being developed to assist the Board with monitoring our progress.

Over the coming months, we will continue to communicate about the elements of the plan in greater detail to help generate awareness and drive participation and engagement in volunteer opportunities. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions about the Society’s strategic direction. Your active engagement will help ensure the Product Stewardship Society continues to accomplish our mission and achieve our vision of a world of safe, trusted, and sustainable products.