Product Stewardship Program

What is Product Stewardship?

Eastern European Agricultural Alliance has established a Product Stewardship Program for its members to help and assist in export activities.

The Program provides a structure for establishing a product stewardship program in a company with reference to best practice guidelines in marketing and export promotion that have been issued by Alliance.

The Marketing and Sales department of a company has an important role in the Product Stewardship Program. It is there where the closest contacts are with the customers. The marketing and sales people should be trained to be able to provide assistance to customers on product related issues.

The marketing and sales people of Alliance member companies shall provide information given in Product Stewardship Program to distributors and farmers in order to have the best results on the market.

For whom is the Product Stewardship Program intended?

Eastern European Agricultural Alliance requires all member companies to implement the Product Stewardship Program and the best practice guidelines. The implementation is verified by regular third-party audits organized by East European Agricultural Alliance.

Moreover, the program addresses the whole Product Life Chain meaning suppliers, contractors, distributors and customers are involved. They should equally be involved.

How is Alliance checking that members are operating in accordance with the requirements of the Product Stewardship Program?

Eastern European Agricultural Alliance has, together with an independent third party audit company, developed a compliance system consisting of:

  1. An audit questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to assist the Members of Alliance in identifying gaps and possible improvements to be made in their current Product Stewardship activity. A weighting is introduced to facilitate a simple progress reporting and for establishing improvement targets. The questionnaire can either be used for a self-assessment or as a basis for an independent third party auditing.
  2. Inspection checklists for validating that day-to-day operations are in conformance with the Product Stewardship Program of Alliance.

The implementation of the Program by Member Companies is audited regularly by an independent third party. The results of the audit are assessed by the Board of Alliance. Members not satisfying the requirements of the Board will have to develop an improvement program.

Eastern European Agricultural Alliance