Extended Producer Responsibility

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach through which a producer's responsibility for a product is extended to the post-use stage^[1].

DEFRA set out in its Resources and Waste Strategy^[2] its intention to review existing Producer Responsibility systems (between 2021 and 2024) and potentially develop new schemes for five new waste streams by 2025 (two by 2022):

Textiles
Bulky Waste
Certain materials in the Construction and Demolition Waste sector
Tyres
Fishing gear

The first stage consultation on reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system opened in February and closed in May 2019^[3]. The second stage consultation opened in March 2021 and closed in June 2021^[4].

This consultation was launched in parallel with consultations on the Consistency in Recycling Collections in England and the implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England, in conjunction with the devolved administration in Wales and DAERA in Northern Ireland.

References

[1] Waste Plan for England Jan 2021

[2] ttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-and-waste-strategy-for-england/resources-and-waste-strategy-at-a-glance

[3] ttps://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/consultation-on-reforming-the-uk-packaging-produce/

[4] ttps://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/

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