Current Status of Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation and Effects on Product Design

Increased environmental awareness is contributing to new government regulatory measures that address disposal of consumer products. Governments are implementing a concept called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which places the responsibility of disposal on the producer. Financially, and/or physically, the producer is legally required to recover the product from the consumer and dispose of it in an environmentally-responsible manner. The most direct form of EPR implementation is take-back legislation. This paper surveys the current state of take-back legislation for packaging, automobiles, and electronic products. The most activity is in Western Europe followed by Asia. One of EPR’s main objectives is not only to mitigate harmful environmental impacts at products’ end of life, but to do so by influencing the product design process. The take-back regulation link to the design process is shown through legislation wording and demonstrated in industry examples.