The International Stewardship Forum was held in Paris on July 2 and 3 2019. With over 200 participants and over 50 international speakers, the Forum provided a unique opportunity for participants to gather practical insights from product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs across a broad range of products and substances.
The event was a unique collaboration between the Global Product Stewardship Council (GlobalPSC) – where EXPRA is a member and EXPRA’s MD represented and the Board – and DASTRI, a French producer responsibility organization for sharps and medical equipment. It was designed to deepen stakeholders’ collective commitment to reduce the resources we consume, return materials to the circular economy, and minimize our impact on the environment, all while rejuvenating the local and international economies. It involved:
- two days of presentations and panel discussions.
- a final day of discussions with select stakeholders (including EXPRA) to reflect upon the Forum presentations, identify key insights, and help map out a way forward. These discussions
followed a modified Chatham House Rule to encourage openness and information sharing.
The presentations over the two full days provided opportunity to understand the origin of the EPR concept and the amazing progress achieved, provided by Prof. Thomas Lindhqvist, Lund University (SE) and Peter Börkey, OECD. It was underlined that EPR is a success story, used all around the globe increasingly in emerging markets.
Nevertheless, still doubts on the success of EPR on design for recycling were raised
The eight sessions covered all aspects and issues impacting the (successful) implementation of EPR policies. The most recent discussions, especially in Europe regarding the Circular Economy package, namely cooperation between the different stakeholders, eco-modulation of EPR fees, provision of level playing field, communication with consumers, etc, were discussed in detail. The representative of EC, Kestutis SADAUSKAS, Director, Green economy, European Commission noted in his statement on “Opportunities and challenges of EU Circular Economy Package“, that EPR is in the core of circular economy and provided a short overview of legislative changes in EU.
In the session dedicated to costs & performance, Juan Manuel Banez Romero, Mars (SP) explained the difficulties in implementing the regulations in packaging recycling and before having available & harmonized infrastructure across EU member states and noted that Industry has to leave aside competition and to collaborate together to solve waste management issues. He especially underlined the need for such understanding and respective action from MS. Local governments, represented by ADR+ noted that eco design should be prioritized and underlined the importance of min EPR requirements for all MS.
Addressing free riders, which can help to minimise costs to responsible producers, was discussed in a special session. The majority of EPR and product stewardship schemes have a regulatory underpinning to help minimise ‘free riders’ that benefit from having systems in place without paying their fair share. The uncollected EPR fees create difficulties for meeting waste management targets with market distorsions & overestimation of recycling rates. The market needs enforcement on this issue, linked with e-commerce actors to really close the loop. The session explored a range of measures available to address free riders while reinforcing the value of maintaining high standards for participants in EPR and product stewardship
EXPRA MD, Joachim Quoden noted that EXPRA is already working jointly with WEEE Forum, Eucolight and other waste streams under EPR, on finding relevant solutions, inter alia suggesting to legislators to make online marketplaces responsible
The importance of communication with all stakeholders and especially consumers was discussed during the session on Opportunities & challenges for newcomers. The session discussed practical factors affecting EPR performance, including formalization, competition, governance and stakeholder outreach and engagement. In this session Monika Romenska, R&PA Manager presented best practices in changing consumer behavior via communication, public awareness and education campaigns.
The session discussed practical factors affecting EPR performance, including formalization, competition, governance and stakeholder outreach and engagement. In this session Monika Romenska, R&PA Manager presented best practices in changing consumer behavior via communication, public awareness and education campaigns