What is Extended Producer Responsibility?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is one of the regulations covered by the Spanish Waste and Contaminated Soils Law, which we discussed in another article. This rule came into force with the 2011 law and was amended and extended in 2022.

What does it involve?

When a manufacturer makes a product, it is sold to citizens, and when it becomes waste, who takes care of it? Under Extended Producer Responsibility, manufacturers themselves must manage, and bear the cost of, the waste their products generate. This promotes prevention and improves reuse, recycling and recovery of waste. An example illustrates these changes. When the rules came into force, coffee capsule manufacturers were required to help finance the cleaning up of abandoned packaging, produce items that are easier to recycle and set up collection systems for coffee capsules. That is why, some time ago, we began to see shops that sell coffee installing special containers for disposing of capsules.

Something that has become popular in industry is the collective EPR scheme (known in Spain as SCARP). A collective scheme is a non-profit organisation that allows manufacturers of different products to join forces and manage their waste in line with extended responsibility rules.

How does it affect you?

If you are a producer, you will want to know what your obligations are. Title IV of the Waste and Contaminated Soils Law lists the 11 points that product producers must meet. In summary, these points cover:

1) Designing environmentally friendly products, for example by making them more durable, easily repairable and using materials from waste.

2) In addition, producers must accept the return of reusable products, extend product warranty periods and repair products if necessary. All of this must be done transparently, as consumers must be informed of the product’s characteristics.

3) The competent authorities must also be kept informed. Data will be submitted on how the product is managed and its economic impact.

4) Finally, as we have already mentioned, producers will have to take full or partial responsibility for managing their waste. And they will have to find a way to guarantee that the product is reused.

Any questions?

If you need help managing your waste and meeting your Extended Producer Responsibility obligations, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will help you with our consultancy services.