Original by Dr. Steve Wong
October 10, 2023
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) was first proposed by Swedish professor Thomas Lindhvqvist in 1990 when he introduced the concept to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Its purpose is to require manufacturers or factories to take responsibility for recycling and reusing products after they have been used, to promote sustainable economic development. This not only helps to reduce plastic pollution on Earth but also lessens the need for resource extraction while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The fundamental principle is that regardless of whether it’s in terms of money or materials, the responsibility for recycling should be borne by the producers, especially in cases involving hazardous chemical substances and large quantities of waste, such as electronics, electrical products, and batteries. Therefore, it’s necessary to regulate recycling through legal means.
I remember that in the 1990s, Germany was the first to introduce the EPR system. Back then, the packaging films we purchased, such as today’s pure PE 98/02, 95/05, and other films, were subsidized by suppliers. Similarly, EPS (foam) was compensated based on quantity and volume. In the early 1990s, there were relatively few people handling plastic waste, and due to limited competition, we benefited from the period of heydays for a few years until more people entered the industry, competition intensified, and suppliers cancelled subsidies and started charging fees. This golden era quickly came to an end. Household appliances and electronic products were also affected by the EPR system. In the early stages, subsidized or free acquisitions were available, a far cry from the current cost of several hundred dollars per ton. The fact that these waste materials succeeded in finding outlets was partly attributed to manufacturers paying recycling fees. Additionally, many European governments enacted laws to regulate the handling, landfilling, and incineration of renewable waste.
Subsequently, the concept of EPR spread to EU countries, the OECD, and the United States, expanding into automotive and tire recycling areas. Since EPR involves legal, financial, and brand-owner cooperation, we currently only see its implementation in some developed countries and specific product areas. Although many countries hope to introduce EPR, they still need to overcome significant obstacles.
Taking the example of EPR and the utilization of recycled materials in packaging in the United States, only six states have established relevant regulations for recycling and reusing disposable packaging materials. These states have achieved some success in bottle recycling, but other recycling areas still face major challenges. Other States and countries worldwide are still researching and discussing EPR policies, hoping to roll out soon and reduce the Earth’s pollution.