- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulation has seen significant developments in the last year across Europe and the UK.
- This has led to changes in existing schemes for packaging, batteries, and waste electronics and electrical equipment (WEEE), as well as new products being caught by EPR regulation.
- Producers, importers, and suppliers of products, online marketplace operators, as well as online retailers and sellers of products online, need to be aware of the new obligations and take action. EPR legislation for certain products has been in place across Europe for many years, imposing obligations for WEEE, batteries, packaging, and other product categories.
- The Circular Economy Action Plan in Europe and the development of the UK Green Taxonomy, expansion of the environmental social and governance agenda, and the drive to net zero carbon emissions are leading to EPR returning to the forefront of policy making.
- Legislative changes have focused on expanding the types of product caught by EPR schemes and pushing the responsibility for reporting and paying fees onto producers. France is leading the way with the development of their EPR regime, with additional sectors being added yearly and major changes to the EPR framework now in effect from January 2022. Germany has also recently made significant changes to established schemes for WEEE.
- In the UK, new obligations will include funding collection and recycling of products, taking over costs from local government tax revenues.
- These changes are expected to trigger an increase in producer compliance costs.
- A deposit return scheme for plastic drinks containers is likely to be developed in the UK, along with a ban on certain single-use plastics and charges for others.
Source PwC
