Extended Producer Responsibility

As a group of 40 leaders in the manufacturing and retailing of packaged goods, we know that improving the performance of waste management and recycling systems is an important part of progressing towards a world where no packaging ends up in nature. This requires new thinking, collaboration and financing.

We understand that many public policy makers in markets around the world are looking for solutions, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. Through EPR schemes, companies that put packaging on the market fund the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging after use, with the goal of increasing recycling rates. Recognising that the industry can’t achieve a circular economy working on its own, the Coalition supports the development of optimal EPR programmes, through collaboration between industry and government.

In 2020, endorsing companies under the umbrella of our Coalition, came together to develop and publish an aligned industry position on the optimal design of such EPR programmes. The paper provides a shared perspective of endorsing companies on the guiding principles and key design parameters of optimal EPR programmes. These principles and parameters are informed by experience in both developed and transitional markets. They have global application and set the stage for our industry’s participation in the development and improvement of these programmes.

As EPR programmes gain traction in markets around the world, we expect ecomodulation of EPR fees to feature prominently in future proposals, as an important mechanism for incentivising the design of sustainable packaging. In early 2022, endorsing companies under the umbrella of our Coalition, released an addendum to the first EPR publication, outlining our guiding principles for ecomodulation. The companies that endorsed this paper recognise the importance of clear and effective financial incentives that guide packaging design suitable for a circular plastics economy such as encouraging elimination of unnecessary packaging, making packaging as light as possible, and improving recyclability.

Both papers are available for download below.