A strong and inspiring start in Brussels marked the opening of the EPR Toolkit Workshop, the pre-event session of the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum 2026:one of Europe’s leading platforms for discussing the future of packaging, waste management, and circular economy policies. Bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and Producer Responsibility Organisations, the Forum continues to serve as a key space for addressing both regulatory developments and practical implementation challenges across the value chain.
The workshop was moderated throughout the day by Joachim Quoden, Managing Director at EXPRA- who opened the discussions with a comprehensive overview of the current state of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the European Union. His introduction set a clear tone for the day, highlighting how EPR continues to evolve from a compliance mechanism into a strategic instrument capable of driving sustainability, improving system performance, and supporting the transition towards a circular economy.
The first session immediately tackled one of the most pressing and complex issues in the EPR landscape: the optimisation of reporting systems. The discussion, enriched by contributions from Romina Giovannetti of Ecoembes, Gunda Rachut of Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, Paul Christiaens of Verpact, and Jens Nießmann of Reclay Group, highlighted the significant complexity of navigating 27 different national reporting frameworks. This fragmentation continues to create administrative burdens and limits data comparability across Europe. Speakers underlined the urgent need for more reliable, transparent, and harmonised data, while also addressing persistent enforcement challenges, particularly in tackling non-compliant actors and free-riding. In this context, digitalisation clearly emerged as a key enabler, with strong consensus around the role of digital tools in streamlining data collection and improving compliance processes.
The workshop then moved into a focused discussion on eco-modulation and the role of financial incentives in shaping more sustainable packaging choices. Insights from Amanda Fuso Nerini of CONAI, Valentin Fournel of Citeo, and Vivian Loftin of Recyda GmbH made it clear that eco-modulation is only effective when carefully designed. Fee structures must accurately reflect the real cost differences between conventional and more sustainable solutions, ensuring that non-recyclable options are penalised while circular alternatives are rewarded. The concept of net cost stood out as a central element in ensuring that eco-modulation delivers meaningful environmental outcomes.
Attention then shifted to the relationship between EPR systems and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), a topic of increasing importance in light of upcoming European legislation. The discussion, featuring Zoe Kavanagh of Repak and Vincent Mooij of Veolia, explored how these systems can coexist and potentially complement each other. Rather than being seen as competing approaches, the debate highlighted the importance of understanding their respective strengths and designing them in a coordinated way, particularly in the context of evolving packaging and packaging waste regulation.
As the discussions progressed, the focus expanded beyond collection towards the broader impact of EPR systems, particularly in relation to sorting and recycling infrastructure. Contributions from Mike Jefferson of EPRO, Arthur ten Wolde of Ecopreneur, and João Letras of Sociedade Ponto Verde underlined the urgent need for strategic planning, stronger infrastructure, and significant investment to scale recycling capacity by 2035. The discussion made clear that technological capabilities, infrastructure gaps, and geographical differences all play a defining role in shaping what is achievable across Europe, reinforcing the need for both harmonisation and flexibility.
An additional exchange explored how reuse systems can be more effectively integrated into EPR frameworks, reflecting a broader shift in both policy and industry thinking. Participants emphasised that achieving circularity at scale requires moving beyond recycling alone and embedding reuse into system design, supported by the right incentives and collaborative approaches across the value chain.
The final session of the workshop offered a forward-looking perspective on the future of EPR systems. A clear message resonated throughout the day: EPR should not be seen as a burden, but as a powerful tool to accelerate investment, foster collaboration, and create the right conditions for a circular economy. When properly designed and implemented, EPR has the potential to drive innovation and systemic change across the packaging sector.
As the workshop concluded, it left participants with a strong sense of direction and a shared understanding that the future of EPR will depend on cooperation, smart policy design, and systemic thinking. In this context, EXPRA is proud to contribute to this important dialogue and to continue supporting the development of effective, fair, and transparent EPR systems across Europe.
