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Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Saving our ocean with Extended Producer Responsibility

Por UNDP Water and Ocean Programme

14 de August de 2023

Have you ever wondered what happens to your plastic bottle after sipping your favorite drink and throwing it in the waste container?

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Now imagine producers taking responsibility for collecting, sorting, and ensuring that these plastic bottles are recycled. If we can do this to all other items made in the market, this might be the crucial process we may have missed for so long — one that brings reality to a true end-to-end management of waste, especially plastic waste.

Essentially, this is what the Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR is about.

EPR is a policy approach that puts the responsibility back to the producers to take care of the products after it has served its purpose. It holds producers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products, including the post-consumer stage, and promotes shared responsibility for waste handling between producers and consumers.

EPR has been in place since the early 90s, helping countries such as early adapters Sweden, Germany, Canada and some states in the US manage disposable products without or with minimal environmental impact by making the manufacturers responsible for the whole life cycle of their products.

Due to their unique challenges in managing plastic waste, the EPR approach is particularly relevant and urgent for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Photo: Freepik

The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in small island developing states (SIDS), or the vast ocean within their territory and control, averages 28 times larger than their country's land area.

Photo: Barbados by Tom Jur / Unsplash

SIDS heavily depend on its coastal and marine resources for their everyday needs and economy, yet globally, massive unmanaged plastic waste ends up in the ocean.

SIDS hardly contribute to the production and trade of plastics or plastic products, yet they are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution.

SIDS often have limited treatment and disposal space, depend heavily on imports and tourism, and face significant environmental and economic impacts from plastic pollution.

Photo: Zero Waste Maldives

Implementing EPR schemes for plastic waste management in SIDS offers several advantages:

EPR reduces burden on local governments. It also encourages waste reduction and fosters better waste management infrastructure and, eventually, even recycling.

EPR stimulates innovation for sustainable product designs and creates a wider community involvement and awareness.

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Is EPR even feasible in SIDS?

In the Maldives, the national government sees EPR scheme as part of its Solid Waste Act and legal framework to contribute to financial and organizational improvements from a circular waste management approach.

Sharing this vision of producing a proof of concept of EPR implementation on SIDS, the project “Developing an EPR scheme for plastic and packaging waste in the Maldives” by adelphi, in cooperation with Zero Waste Maldives, has been selected as one of the first cohort of the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge targeted at reducing marine pollution (SDG 14 Target 1).

Afrah Ismail (center) of Zero Waste Maldives, adelphi's partner in the EPR Maldives UNDP OIC project, facilitates consultation and dialogues with the public and private sector in the Maldives to enhance awareness and engagement.

What EPR is not

Paolo Facco, adelphi’s project manager of the UNDP ocean innovation in Maldives and an environmental engineer and a passionate advocate of circular economy, clears out the top common misconceptions about the EPR approach that leads to consequential resistance to it:

EPR is NOT a burden on producers and businesses. “EPR is a shared responsibility between producers, consumers, and governments. While producers may bear some reasonable financial responsibility, EPR can also create opportunities for innovation, sustainable product design, and improved brand reputation. Moreover, the costs of waste management without EPR can often be higher for both businesses and governments, not to mention the detrimental effects of not properly managing waste to the planet and people.”
EPR is NOT just a form of taxation. “EPR is a policy approach that includes waste management costs into the product's lifecycle. The funds collected through EPR fees are dedicated to proper waste management and recycling initiatives, not just general revenue. Transparent communication about how the fees are utilized can help dispel this misconception. This ring-fenced financing form is crucial to setting up a functioning waste management system.”
EPR is NOT a one-size-fits-all solution. “EPR programs can be tailored to fit different industries, products, and regional contexts. Engaging with stakeholders, including businesses, is important to design flexible and efficient EPR systems that align with their specific needs and capacities.”

Paolo Facco (4th from left) together with UNDP's first cohort of ocean innovators promoting innovative approaches to eliminating marine pollution at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.

Government commitment is highly needed. Policy consistency and alignment with existing environmental and waste management policies is crucial.

What opportunities await the producers who will take a chance on EPR?

EPR, according to Paolo, offers these:

Producers can gain a market advantage by adapting eco-friendly practices, leading to resource efficiency and innovation.

When implemented successfully, local governments can experience reduced financial burdens and improved waste management infrastructure.

The waste management industry has the potential for improvement, primarily through more organized waste collection, the establishment of material recovery facilities and recycling opportunities, which can create economic opportunities and jobs.

Consumers can benefit from better waste disposal options and increased environmental awareness.

By ensuring an eco-friendly image, SIDS can secure their position as attractive tourist destinations and sustain their economic success.

Putting plastics back in the hands of producers

Making EPR work in SIDS

Paolo also acknowledges that EPR is not a magic pill for waste management, especially for SIDS. Here are his top three elements needed for SIDS to be able to implement an EPR framework successfully:

Strong Legislative Framework and Policy Support: A robust legislative framework is essential to establish clear producer responsibility. However, it must also consider the country's unique context and set achievable timelines to implement the legislation effectively.

Government commitment is highly needed.

Policy consistency and alignment with existing environmental and waste management policies is crucial. For example, waste-to-energy projects would work against a functioning EPR system by diverting materials from recycling to incineration. Policies banning plastics while promoting EPR can be counterintuitive and unattractive to local companies and investors.

Public Awareness and Education: Understanding that plastics cannot be banned or phased out altogether will encourage upstream innovation to make products safer, more recyclable, and collectable as a resource, will yield more benefits in all aspects of the product life cycle. Raising awareness among the public, businesses, and other stakeholders about the importance of EPR is vital.

It is essential to involve the producers and industry representatives affected by the EPR scheme.

Collaborating with NGOs, neighboring countries with similar geographic and socio-economic challenges is vital.

Infrastructure Development and Capacity Building: SIDS will have to plan the fee for the EPR system accordingly to invest in a waste management infrastructure, including recycling facilities and collection systems from scratch (as most SIDS don´t have that yet).

Establishing monitoring and enforcement mechanisms is essential for holding producers accountable and ensuring compliance.

Relevant authorities need to gain new capacity, and a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) has to be set up to eliminate any administration burden that may come with an EPR scheme.

Physically, the challenge of EPR in many SIDS is still the need for recycling infrastructures and proper facilities, which hinders the full potential of the EPR scheme. Paolo sees that the funds that can be collected through the EPR system can create such infrastructure and enhance in-country recycling capabilities.

One of the key outcomes of the project is the EPR manual for SIDS which has been prepared specifically for SIDS countries as a guiding document for EPR implementation. Download the manual.

With the current negotiations on a global Plastics Treaty in place, EPR is no longer a long shot for SIDS. One of the four pillars of the Treaty is (Pillar 2) plastic pollution and prevention, where EPR might prove to be the most accessible option. Setting up EPR schemes will require political, legal, financial and organizational efforts. Still, EPR’s implementation at a global level has the potential to ignite transformative change toward a sustainable circular economy.

The EPR approach for SIDS alone and its successful adoption by SIDS could be the jumpstart that the world badly needs to address plastics waste management effectively. On the one hand, the ocean innovation pilot in the Maldives is a benchmark that other SIDS interested in venturing into an EPR implementation can learn from and build upon.

Watch this event held on 16 August 202308:00 Central Europe / 09:00 Istanbul / 11:00 Maldives / 18:00 Fiji as adelphi and ZeroWaste Maldives, and lead experts discussed the challenges and benefits of EPR and practical guidelines in implementing EPR in SIDS.

© 2026 UNDP Water and Ocean Programme

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