Extended Producer Responsibility

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a practice and a policy approach in which producers “take responsibility” for management of the disposal of products they produce once those products are designated as no longer useful by consumers. “Responsibility” for disposal may be fiscal, physical, or a combination of the two. Motivations for extended producer responsibility practices include a mixture of economic, environmental, and social factors. Extended producer responsibility shifts the economic burden of the cost of disposal from the government to the producer of the product. Within an environmental context, products must be designed for recyclability, and extended producer responsibility encourages design for recycling while discouraging the use of toxic components in the product. Finally, extended producer responsibility meets increasing consumer demand for “environmentally friendly products” ...