The Global Action Partnership for EPR is an international partnership established by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, WWF, OECD, UNEP, GIZ and PREVENT Waste Alliance. The GAP for EPR has four main aims to:
provide a one-stop shop for EPR
create a common understanding of EPR
build an international community to share knowledge and expertise
offer technical support on EPR development worldwide
What does the GAP for EPR do?
The GAP for EPR works on three areas:
What is its mission?
The GAP for EPR is guided by its mission statement, with the following priorities:
Near-universal implementation of mandatory EPR policies, across a range of sectors.
Recognition of the full lifecycle approach (beyond waste as the sole externality), including eco-modulation.
EPR implementation is mindful of social equity.
Solid engagement from the business community in ensuring EPR’s lasting impacts.
Structured exchanges (and alignment) across a range of (sub)national EPR policies.
Extender Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Extended Producer Responsibility is a policy approach that makes producers responsible for their products along the entire lifecycle, including at the post-consumer stage.
EPR policies have the potential to deliver circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. outcomes by shifting the financial and/or operational responsibility of managing discarded products from governments to producers. To unlock circular economy outcomes, EPR policies should
Be mandatory and fee-based
Use eco-modulated fees to incentivise upstream innovation
Establish performance targets, robust enforcement mechanisms and transparent governance
Involve all relevant stakeholders, including various ministries, local governments, businesses, the informal sector and civil society
A well-designed and adequately implemented EPR policy offers four key benefits:
