Forum on Extended Producer Responsibility for Plastic Wastes

Background

Adequate and sustainable financing is essential to ensure that plastic wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner. One of the main instruments governments use to that end is extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR instruments aim at making producers responsible for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the products’ life-cycle, from design to the waste phase. EPR has been applied mainly for wastes from the packaging, electric and electronic equipment, vehicles and batteries sectors. The urgent need to stem pollution from plastic waste underscores the necessity of providing sustainable financing for waste management in many countries and has led to an increasing interest in developing EPR systems worldwide. Such systems should be designed to effectively improve plastic waste management while being adapted to the socio-economic and political realities of each country.

Launched in November 2019, the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Partnership was established with the goal to improve and promote the environmentally sound management of plastic waste at the global, regional and national levels and prevent and minimize their generation. It is a multi-stakeholder platform with more than 140 member entities. A forum on EPR is being organized to promote action and dialogue among all the stakeholders involved in such systems while highlighting the linkages to work under the Basel Convention.

The Forum will explore diverse aspects of setting up and implementing EPR schemes affecting plastic waste management in key sectors and how such schemes function to promote the environmentally sound collection, logistics and processing of plastic wastes. Forum events will highlight innovative approaches, mechanisms for informal sector inclusion and addressing challenges in countries with limited capacity for waste management.

Objectives of the forum

• To showcase solutions to challenges encountered by Basel Convention Parties and other stakeholders in implementing EPR schemes;
• To promote collaboration and knowledge exchange in the forum.

Forum format and programming

A series of virtual events will be organized lasting 90 minutes each to enable wide participation from around the world.

Click here to access the recording of the webinar.

In the upcoming forum sessions, we are going to take a closer look at diverse aspects of setting up and implementing EPR schemes affecting plastic waste management in four key sectors of packaging, textiles, end-of-life vehicles and e-waste.

Each of the four virtual events will last 90 minutes each, and will feature a sectoral overview, interventions from Parties and stakeholders about challenges and successes and a panel discussion. Register using the links below: