EPR, what’s that?

EPR stands for extended producer responsibility. This concept was introduced in 1990 by the Swedish Thomas Lindhqvist. It makes the producer responsible for the entire life cycle of his product, from design to end-of-life, with the aim of reducing its environmental impact.

This concept has been translated into several European directives, the first being the 1994 packaging and packaging waste directive.

Belgium has EPRs for packaging, batteries, electrical and electronic waste, motor oil, frying oil, used tyres, etc.

The EPR for packaging

The transposition of the European directive on packaging and packaging waste into Belgian law, resulted in the 1997 Cooperation Agreement. This agreement determines to which companies the legislation applies and what their obligations are. Compliance with this agreement is monitored by the Interregional Packaging Commission (see “The legislation“).

In Belgium, two organisations manage the extended producer responsibility for packaging: Fost Plus for household packaging and Valipac for C&I packaging. Belgium is the only European country to have set up a specific system for C&I packaging.