Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging - Examples and Experience

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmentally-focused approach based on the ‘polluter-pays’ principle. Whoever introduces packaging or packaged goods into a country’s market remains responsible for it until the end of the packaging life cycle, including the time period after disposal. EPR is a key concept for ‘closing the loop’ in the packaging value chain. It obliges producers and importers to assume responsibility for their packaging and products. In many countries with well-established EPR systems, packaged goods are only allowed to be marketed if the producer/manufacturer or importer pay for the waste collection, sorting, recycling and disposal of their packaging waste.
In the webinar „Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging” we would like to give you an overview on EPR approaches in other countries, about the experience from the last 30 years and the political and regulatory requirements in the European Union.