Jacques Vernier
President of the French Extended Producer Responsibility Waste Schemes Commission
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been voted in France since 1975. The law states that producers, importers and distributors may be required to contribute to the disposal of waste from their products. It was only in 1992 that this law was applied for the first time to household waste and the number of EPR channels has only increased since then in France and in Europe. The efficiency of these channels is indisputable: in 20 years the collection rate of batteries has reached 80%, whereas they were not collected before.
Thanks to the law on the circular economy passed in 2020, this system is developing even further and has modified and strengthened the EPR system with 10 new channels. In addition, there is a stronger incentive for eco-modulation, funds dedicated to repair, reuse, and many other proposals favorable to the evolution of consumption patterns.
