What is EPR?
EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility. Extended Producer Responsibility is an environmental policy and a form of product stewardship that extends a producer’s responsibility for a product to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life-cycle.
Today there are over 400 EPR programs globally, 35% of which are for electronics, 18% for tires, 17% for packaging, 12% for vehicles / auto batteries and 18% for other sectors such as paint (source: OECD). Only one country has an EPR policy for textiles and clothing – France – and this policy came into effect between 2007-2009, over a decade ago.
What could EPR Become?
We believe that EPR has significant potential to catalyze a Justice-led Transition from a Linear Textiles Economy to a Circular Textiles Economy. To do this we call on policy makers to implement EPR programs for textiles based on three key principles.
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Internalized cost of Management
EPR Fees must align with eco-modulated waste management costs throughout the global reverse supply chain and must financially incentivize alternatives to linear waste practices. We call for eco-modulated fees starting at US $0.50 per newly produced garment as a floor rate for EPR programs.
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Global Accountability
EPR programs must align with the reality of how waste flows around the world, distributing funds to enable circular infrastructure in the Global South as well as the Global North and to account for the loss and damage already incurred by fashion’s excessive waste sent around the world to under-resourced and climate vulnerable communities.
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Disclosures to Drive Circular Targets
In order to achieve ecomodulated EPR Fees, programs must require companies to disclose production volumes along every eco- modulation tranche. We call for this information to be publicly available on a per company basis and for five year reduction targets for new clothing of at least 40% over five years, balanced with the increase of reuse and re-manufacture of existing materials.