This report provides the recommendations of the Water Quality Board to address the challenges in seeking alternatives to the use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as flame retardants, and avoiding the release of PBDEs during product use, recycling and disposal through the implementation of best management practices. This includes the role that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) might play. Recommendation 1: The responsible governments (federal, provincial, state, Tribes, First Nations, Métis and municipalities) should ensure that product flammability standards for products and structures, toxicity standards for flame retardants, and use of redesign options are approached in an integrated way to ensure the best achievement of both protection from flammability problems and protection of the environment. Recommendation 2: The IJC should undertake a trial run for a different style of regulatory development that breaks out of silos by integrating the three topics in Recommendation 1, by operating in a multi-stakeholder led process, and by working across the government borders in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Recommendation 3: The responsible governments (federal, provincial, state, Tribes, First Nations, Métis and municipalities) should educate the public on the issues with BDEcontaining products in use in their homes and how they can reduce the associated risks. Recommendation 4: The responsible governments (federal, provincial, state, Tribes, First Nations, Métis and municipalities) and industry should complete research to increase understanding of the implications of different recycling and disposal methods. Recommendation 5: The responsible governments (federal, provincial, state, Tribes, First Nations, Métis and municipalities) should go beyond the requirement for an inventory of products containing PBDEs, as recommended in the IJC’s 2016 report. It is recommended that this be expanded to make it easier for the consumer to be aware of the presence of PBDEs by requiring labels on all products and through mechanisms such as barcode scanning apps on phones. Recommendation 6: The responsible governments (federal, provincial, state, Tribes, First Nations, Métis and municipalities) should encourage industry to work jointly with a full range of stakeholders to develop an EPR program for flame retardant-containing products. This would explore mechanisms for addressing not only products containing PBDEs but also for new products made with alternative flame retardants. This could become a model for EPR programs for other toxics-containing products