1. Extended Producer Responsibility – origins and evolutions
WEEE Forum Conference
Malta, April 2017
Thomas Lindhqvist
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE)
Lund University

2. Total annual emissions of chromium in tonnes
1980s – the prelude
Consumption society keeps on growing
Waste problems are more in focus
Increased interest for waste prevention – though mainly for production waste and pollution
Problems with toxics from products in landfills and incinerators
Recycling results are overall not impressive
Total annual emissions of chromium in tonnes
Data source: Kretsloppsdelegationen rapport 1997:14, Fig. 21:3

3. The challenges Situation in the mid-1980s:
Demand for improved waste treatment
Demand for more recycling
That is
More effective systems for collection and recycling
More money for collection and recycling
Better products (design changes)

4. 1990 – Extended Producer Responsibility
Elements of an emerging approach in several countries
Report to the Swedish Ministry of Environment (förlängt producentansvar)
Translated to English for a UNEP workshop we organised in 1992
“Slowly” accepted and translated to more languages

5. EPR Principle Principle coined in 1990 Extended = More than before
Producer = From municipality to businesses
Responsibility = Financial (who pays) Physical (who organises)

6. Why EPR?
From limited recycling to making re-use and recycling the main option
Facilitate recycling through design improvements
A need to create new incentives for market actors and in particular manufacturers
Connect waste management costs to consumption decisions

7. Introduction of EPR Starting with packaging
1991 German Packaging Ordinance -> Duales System Deutschland (DSD)
Followed by other European countries (and non-European)
Extended to other product categories: cars, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, tyres, textiles, …

8. Implementation for Packaging
A lot of recycling
More recycling of glass and paper/carton
New systems for plastics, metals, composites
Change of design of packaging – less materials, more recyclable
But still many remaining challenges

9. EPR for complex products
Relatively easy to formulate the goals for packaging and other “simple” products
More difficult to have reasonable and useful targets for complex products
Need for dynamic incentives, where producers are rewarded by cost savings
After more than a decade Europe was ready with directives

10. Problematic features of directive
Inconvenience for consumers
Recycling of mass and not always value
Unclear about the role of producers
As a result, weak incentives for new design of products and new take-back systems

11. What has happened? But also a lot of good results!
Focus on collection and simple recovery
Compromises
Fear of new approaches
Lack of control
Lack of monitoring
But also a lot of good results!
Much more collection and recycling, much more interest for end-of-life from producers and others

12. Products not to be in mixed waste
Survey of Swedish citizens 2015
Question: What products used in the household should not be thrown in the mixed waste but discarded into some separate collection system? %
Source: Swedish EPA

13. Special challenges – products with value
Leakage to short-lived second hand markets
Leakage to inferior recycling treatment
Fluctuating value of materials create volatile situation and unclear recycling conditions

14. EPR and Morale EPR is not about putting moral blame on producers
EPR is about finding effective and efficient solutions to problems
Responsibilities should be allocated so that problems are addressed in the best way
The one who can change should be given responsibility (= producers) and incentives for change

15. Thank you for your attention!
So …
When you work with products you should believe in change and technical development
Let’s also believe in opportunities for new and more sustainable products
Let’s believe in creativity and new approaches to problems
And let’s have policies and practice that reward such changes
Thank you for your attention!
There are win-win solutions to be discovered in many areas! As here, making recycling possible by clean yoghurt packaging, while also not losing product.