Presentation
The EPR Club was created as an ACR+ initiative supported financially and technically by ACR+ members. Today the EPR Club has an open membership gathering a wide range of stakeholders, including public authorities, producer organisations, industry federations, waste management companies, NGOs.
The EPR Club is a multi-stakeholder platform for exchange of knowledge and dissemination of good EPR practices amongst key European stakeholders and experts, including the European institutions. The aim is to foster dialogue on policy developments and technical implementation of EPR schemes in order to bring forward European legislation and policy on EPR.
The EPR Club was launched in June 2012, with the support of the European Commission.
Inspired by the increasing importance of the EPR concept in (European) waste and resource policies, this project aims to contribute to the debate on the European level and to help bringing forward European legislation and policy on EPR.
The EPR Club proposes a platform to exchange information and experience, to debate, as well as to improve knowledge about EPR policies and practices with all relevant stakeholders – including the European Commission and other European Institutions.
The EPR Club endeavours to build a joint initiative to identify the good practices in the EPR field, to disseminate them and possibly even reinforce the European legal bases. Further, it is the Club’s aim to enable dialogue on EU policy developments and strategies regarding EPR schemes. The Club also wishes to strengthen each level of the waste hierarchy, including prevention and reuse.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach in which the producer's responsibility for managing the product and reducing its environmental impact is extended across the whole life cycle of the product - from the selection of materials and design of the product to its end-of-life, especially regarding take-back, recycling and disposal. The overall objectives of EPR include:
- Integration of environmental costs;
- Improved waste management;
- Reduction of disposal;
- Reduction of the burden on municipalities;
- Design of environmentally sound products.
EPR is an application of the Polluter Pays Principle. The polluter is not necessary the person whose activities give rise to pollution, but rather the economic agent that plays a decisive role in the pollution, like the producer, rather than the polluter himself.
The producers have primary responsibility under EPR, but sharing responsibilities across the product chain is an inherent part of EPR. While the policy tool is called Extended Producer Responsibility, it should be borne in mind that all actors in the product chain and in society must participate in order to optimise its effects.
Activities
A combination of networking events and web-based activities allows the exchange of information and views amongst EPR Club members, political institutions and other stakeholders.
The EPR Club regularly holds lunch debates on specific topics decided by its members. These are mainly intended for the internal debate among the members. In some cases representatives of the European institutions and other external participants are invited.
The Club also organises bigger international events adressing a broader audience and generally open to all interested stakeholders.
In addition, the EPR Club website and the online Virtual Library represent the main communication and reference tools for members.
Partners
EPR Club co-founders come from all over Europe:
- ACR+, Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (BE)
- ARC, Agència de Residus de Catalunya – Catalan Waste Agency (ES)
- AICA (IT)
- Brussels Environment, Brussels-Capital Region (BE)
- Fundación para la EconomÍa Circular (ES)
- Rudologia (FR)
ACR+ members have full access to all activities of the EPR Club.
Since its creation, the EPR Club has constantly grown in size and scope. At present it forms a real multi-stakeholder platform, including members from public and private sector, as well as NGOs and academics. Considering this evolution, today the EPR Club is guided by a set of governance rules which has to be agreed by any new member.
Check out the complete list of the EPR Club members on our website.
