1. What is Extended Producer Responsibility?

As consumer consumption continues to grow across the modern world, the issue of ever-increasing waste has become an increasing concern.  Many countries have implemented schemes collectively known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), with the aim of requiring producers to take responsible for the entire life-cycle of their products.  In this article, we will explore how EPR schemes have been implemented in numerous countries.  

2. United Kingdom – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

The United Kingdom (UK) was one of the first countries to implement environmental legislation concerning electronic waste, under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2006, subsequently updated in 2013.  This imposed a responsibility on electronics producers to manage the collection, treatment and disposal of electronic waste arising from their products.  Crucially, this responsibility meant that producers were required to bear the costs, instead of relying on publicly-funded schemes. 

Wider EPR legislation is also due to be implemented in 2024, whereby producers will also be responsible for financing the collection, management and disposal of household packaging waste.  This will mark a transition towards producers paying the ‘full net cost’ of managing all packaging waste, including the funding of public waste collection services such as street bins.  Additionally, it will also eventually become mandatory to indicate whether any piece of packaging is recyclable.  

3. Spain – Ecoembes

Spain has implemented an EPR scheme for consumable household product packaging, with the same aim of reducing waste and increasing long-term sustainability.  Ecoembes requires producers to finance the collection, management/treatment and disposal of household packaging.  

4. Austria – Green Dot

Similarly, Austria has implemented its ‘Green Dot’ scheme that also requires producers to finance the collection, management and disposal of product waste.  Furthermore, it also places an incentive on producers to design products with the life-cycle of the product in mind, with an emphasis on using environmentally friendly materials.  

5. Our Role

EPR schemes being implemented in numerous countries are already having a significant impact on the way that businesses operate, and this trend is set to continue as more countries follow suit to tackle growing environmental issues.  At TBA Global, we have taken a proactive approach to demonstrate our own commitment to the environment and future generations. 

It is clear that more countries will begin to implement EPR schemes to deal with the growing challenge of waste management.  TBA Global can also help your business stay EPR compliant in numerous countries.  Contact us for more information.