Understanding extended producer responsibility (EPR) in the South African context

What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an international policy approach that aims to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing and retail industries by holding businesses accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products.

Essentially, this means that businesses can no longer ‘pass on’ the responsibility for sustainable waste management to their consumers – thereby creating incentives for better product design and a circular economy.

First introduced in Sweden in the 1990s, EPR regulations came into effect in South Africa on 5 May 2021 as an amendment to the Waste Act No 59 of 2008. The regulations require manufacturers, importers, and brand owners to implement systems that recover, refurbish and/or recycle their products and packaging, and to make these systems readily accessible to their consumers.

Which businesses are subject to EPR in South Africa?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) specifically applies to businesses involved in the production, import, or retail of “identified products” in the following “obliged industries”:

• Paper and paper packaging
• Plastic, metal and glass packaging
• Electrical and electronic equipment
• Lighting equipment
• Portable batteries
• Pesticides
• Lubricant oils.

EPR holds these businesses responsible for the full lifecycle of their products in three distinct ways:

• Physical responsibility (e.g. having to take back end-of-life products)
• Transparency (e.g. providing information on the materials used to manufacture products)
• Financial liability (e.g. paying the clean-up costs for environmental damage caused by end-of-life product dumping).
  
  

What are the compliance requirements?

It is mandatory for businesses in the obliged industries to register online with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), and to ensure that all their identified products are covered by an approved EPR scheme or Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).

For example, PROs in the packaging industry include Polyco, PETCO, the Glass Recycling Company, MetPac-SA, Fibre Circle, and eWASA – which all manage the collection and recycling of specific materials on behalf of their members

Businesses have to submit interim performance reports every six months, and (externally audited) performance reports every year – detailing performance against targets, fee allocation, financial performance, governance, environmental impacts, and job creation.

For example, businesses are required to track and maintain accurate records of the quantity of identified products (even if some of these services are outsourced):

• Placed on the market
• Collected
• Sorted into different waste streams
• Recycled, recovered, or refurbished.
  
  

Currently, each EPR scheme or PRO determines the specific targets applicable to their industry and product categories. For example, the plastic recycling targets set forth by the Plastics Pact are:

• 100% of plastic packaging being reusable, recyclable, or compostable (relates to materials)
• 70% of plastic packaging being recycled (relates to recycling infrastructure)
• 30% average recycled content across plastic packaging (relates to the manufacture of products).
  
  

One of the key aims of EPR is to build a more sustainable waste management infrastructure across the country – by gathering regular, reliable data and by funding both informal and formal collection and recycling systems.

Therefore, each of the EPR schemes or PROs collects EPR fees from their members and uses this revenue to support the collection, sorting and recycling of recyclable materials by informal waste pickers, small and medium-sized collectors and large-scale mechanical recyclers. As a result, the implementation of well-designed EPR schemes can advance the circular economy, promote efficient resource use and recovery, and contribute towards pollution prevention.

How can WastePlan help businesses with EPR compliance?

As a trusted partner in sustainable waste management, WastePlan enables businesses to comply with EPR requirements through our:

• Experience and understanding of industry-specific waste management and recycling challenges
• Practical and innovative recycling solutions tailored to specific product categories
• Accurate, verifiable data per waste stream on the weight and volume collected, sorted, recycled, recovered and diverted
• Highly effective Zero Waste to Landfill processes and systems
• Strategic collaboration with PROs.

EPR is no longer simply a regulatory requirement – it has become a strategic opportunity for businesses to align with sustainability targets in their industry, enhance their brand reputation, and proactively contribute to a circular economy in South Africa.

Partnering with WastePlan can make EPR compliance so much easier, ensuring that businesses meet their obligations efficiently while maximising environmental and financial benefits.

Want to learn how to navigate EPR compliance and drive sustainable waste solutions? Contact WastePlan today!