Questions & Answers About EPR

What is EPR?

Quite simply, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means that the manufacturers and producers take responsibility for the End-of-Life (EOL) for the products they create. Manufacturers and Producers have the ultimate influence over how products are designed. EPR drives innovative, thoughtful "green" design and self-sustaining collection & take-back systems that work for consumers.

• Framework Principles for Product Stewardship Policy -
  Joint Policy of CA, OR, VT, British Columbia and Northwest Product Stewardship Councils 12/14/08
  
  
• EPR Questions and Answers 10/21/08

Does EPR Affect Design?

You bet it does! Right now in the United States, we operate under a production system that largely relies on planned obsolescence. For example, technology is changing so rapidly that the lifespan for a personal computer has been shortened to 2-3 years (source: Computer Take Back Campaign). Even seemingly innocuous consumer products like the Brita water filtration pitcher are designed differently in the U.S. than in Europe. Why? Because Europe requires that these filters be designed for recycling. Not so in the U.S. Same product - different design. Involving producers and manufacturers in EPR does drive better design. If you know you'll be responsible for a product when it's time to dispose it, you're going to make sure it's designed effectively. Take a look at some compelling evidence supporting this:

• TV Producers Double Standards —Computer TakeBack Campaign
• EPR and Eco-Design —Lund Univercity, Sweden 2006
  • Exec Summary
  • Full Report

Who Supports EPR?

There is broad-based support for EPR locally, throughout California, nationally and internationally. More importantly - represenatives from all sides are taking part in on-going dialog on EPR: manufacturers, retailers, local government, retail associations, public health and environmental health organizations, water & waste water organizations, non-government organizations, and the general public.

CPSC provides ongoing outreach, education and technical assistance to all of these groups to bring these stakeholders together, make sure their interests are identified and addressed, and to build a coalition that will bring EPR to California.

• Who Supports Producer Responsibility? —Computer TakeBack Campaign
• California Retailers Association Supports EPR Framework 9/07
• Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition 2006
• Canadian Electronics Industry —Electronics Product Stewardship Canada

EPR or Advanced Recycling Fees?

Advanced Recycling Fees (ARF), sometimes called Advanced Disposal Fees (ADF) are something you pay up-front, when you buy a product, which then ends up funding the eventual disposal of the product. In California, we have ARFs for electronics that contain Cathode Ray Tubes: televisions and computer monitors. The problem with ADFs is that they do nothing to reduce the amount of waste produced or the toxicity of the waste. After all, it's the consumer who pays the ARF — there's no cost at all to the manufacturer because they're not required to take responsibility for the product they've created once it leaves their warehouses; therefore, there's no incentive to design a more eco-friendly product. Plus, the collection of ADFs and eventual re-distribution to government agencies and "approved recyclers" has created another costly bureacracy. Read more on this subject in the following documents:

Questions and Answers about ARF vs EPR —Computer TakeBack Campaign

Advanced Disposal Fees Do Not Reduce Overseas E-waste Export