+100 leading businesses call for EPR for packaging

June 15, 2021. Today for the first time, more than 100 businesses in the packaging value chain, including SUST4IN, together with more than 50 other organisations, publicly recognise that without Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging collection and recycling is unlikely to be meaningfully scaled and tens of millions of tonnes of packaging will continue to end up in the environment every year.

The statement, published today by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, has been signed by leading brands and retailers (including Beiersdorf, Danone, Diageo, Ferrero, FrieslandCampina, H&M, Henkel, Inditex, L’Oréal, Mars, Mondi, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Pick n Pay, Reckitt, Schwarz Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever and Walmart), manufacturers and recyclers (including Borealis, Berry Global, DS Smith, Mondi, Tetra Pak, Indorama Ventures and Veolia), investors such as European Investment Bank and Closed Loop Partners, and NGOs including WWF, The Recycling Partnership, The Pew Charitable Trusts and As You Sow.

For a circular economy, packaging that can’t be eliminated or reused must be collected, sorted and recycled or composted after use. But currently the economics do not stack up: collection, sorting and recycling or processing packaging costs more than the revenues made from selling the recycled materials.

We need dedicated, ongoing and sufficient funding to make the economics of recycling work. This statement and the supporting position paper set out why mandatory, fee-based EPR is the only proven and likely way to provide this funding.

By signing the statement, endorser organisations recognise this need and make three firm commitments:

1. Ensure their entire organisation is aligned on, and their actions are in line with this statement;
2. Be constructive in their engagement with governments and other stakeholders: advocating for the establishment of well-designed EPR policies and being supportive in working out how to implement and continuously improve EPR schemes in the local context;
3. Engage with their peers and the relevant associations and collaborations we are part of to work towards aligning their positions and actions accordingly.

While they might not have all the answers on how best to implement EPR for packaging in different geographies around the world, the endorsers of this statement are sending a strong signal that not making EPR work is not an option, and they are willing to step up and be part of the solution.

Tune in to the live launch panel at 3pm BST today, moderated by Louise Boyle, Senior Climate Correspondent at The Independent with guests:

• Guillermo González, Head of Circular Economy Office, Ministry of the Environment, Chile
• Maarten Dubois, Project Lead Circular Economy, OECD
• Matt Demorais, Corporate Affairs Director, Unilever
• Sara Wingstrand, Programme Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

More information: plastics.emf.org/EPR