Producer Responsibility as a Policy Solution

What is Extended Producer Responsibility

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) (also called “Producer Takeback”) is a product and waste management system in which manufacturers – not the consumer or government – take responsibility for the environmentally safe management of their product when it is no longer useful or discarded.

When manufacturers take responsibility for the recycling of their own products they:
• Use environmentally safer materials in the production process
• Consume fewer materials in the production process
• Design the product to last longer and be more useful
• Create safer recycling systems
• Are motivated to keep waste costs down
• No longer pass the cost of disposal to the government and the taxpayer

Electronics Companies Take Back Their Products in Other Countries

Some of the same electronics companies who oppose producer takeback legislation in the U.S. are complying with these same laws in other countries, in Europe, Japan, and Canada.

IN EUROPE: WEEE Laws Mandate Producer Takeback

The WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) passed in 2003 says that countries in the EU must pass laws requiring the producers to take back a variety of household appliances, including electronics. The deadline for implementing WEEE laws was August 2005.

For more information, view the EPR toolkit:

Extended Producer Responsibility
A waste management strategy that cuts waste, creates a cleaner environment and saves taxpayers money

Published by Clean Production Action, 2004. Download toolkit (PDF)

Electronics Recycling In Japan

In Japan, there are different laws for recycling TVs and for recycling computers and monitors.

TV Takeback: Japan passed the Home Appliance Recycling Law in 2001, which covers TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. It specifically requires the recycling of 55% by weight of materials from televisions collected in the program. Under this law, producers have the responsibility to recycle their electronic products either themselves or delegate their responsibility to the third party. Consumers bring their products back to retailers, or in some cases, the municipalities. Consumers pay a recycling fee by purchasing a recycling ticket either at the retailers or at post offices. These fees are then transferred on a monthly basis to the producers. The fee is standard for the type of product. However the level of the fee is low and manufacturers absorb the difference in received versus actual costs for recycling. This is important to note for municipalities who may be considering simply placing an advanced recycling fee on products and bypassing the responsibilities of the producers. The municipality may end up picking up the tab for costs not covered by the fee.

Computer Takeback: In 2001, Japan passed the Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources, which covers consumer owned computers and monitors, as well as some other products. This law mandated business in certain sectors to undertake recycling initatives and incorporate 3Rs (Reuse, reduce, recycle) into their business model. This law added a takeback fee to purchase of new equipment (sold since 2003) which is collected at purchase and paid to the manufacturers. Consumers attach the label they receive when they pay the fee, then take it to the post office (or have the PO pick it up). The Postal system gets the product the proper recycler. (To recycle computers purchased before 2003, the consumer must contact the manufacturer to pay a fee and order a mail back label to the proper manufacturer, then take the boxed equipment to the post office (or have the PO pick it up).

Some examples of European programs:

In the Norwegian EPR program, adopted in March 1998, the producers and importers pay fees to a third party organization, Elektronikkretur, based on their current market share. These fees are internalized in the product price and are invisible to the consumer. The fee covers the costs of collection, transport and recycling. Consumers are able to return their electronics free of charge.

In Belgium, national EPR legislation for WEEE was introduced in 2001. It allows for the use of a visible fee of some €20 for a fridge, €16 for a TV and €3-4 for a PC (fee on PC is lower because of high inherent value of precious metals). Revenues from the visible fees go to the producers. Some of these revenues are used to pay local authorities and transporters to bring WEEE to recycling facilities. The remainder of revenues from visible fees are used by producers to build up funds for future WEEE obligations and to pay for treating historical waste.

How are the companies implementing WEEE? In some countries, companies are partnering together to implement their WEEE obligations. One example is the European Recycling Platform (ERP), a partnership between four companies - Hewlett Packard, Sony, Electrolux, Braun - in several EU countries. More on ERP.