Waste Reduction and Recycling Through Extended Producer Responsibility

In order to support the Austrian Federal Ministry for the Environment in the development of a waste reduction and recycling strategy for the Austrian Waste Management Plan 2006, Ecologic completed the study “Waste Avoidance and Recycling on the Basis of Producer Responsibility”. The study features a detailed analysis of extended producer responsibility as a policy instrument for waste-reduction and increased recycling in Austria. The focus is on the characteristics of successful extended producer responsibility programmes and the preconditions necessary for their successful implementation. The study also investigates economic, technical, social and juridical aspects of the policy instrument. The study is now available for download.

Background

Based on the “polluter-pays principle” extended producer responsibility aims at the internalisation of external environmental costs. Thereby, the producer bears responsibility for his products along the entire life cycle. A crucial feature of extended producer responsibility  is that the producer is obliged to take back his product for recycling or disposal. Moreover, steps should be taken aiming at mitigating the environmental impact of industrial production processes. Extended producer responsibility aims at:

• Reducing the creation of waste at its source;
• Stimulating producers to rethink the design of their products, packaging and production processes; and
• Promoting environmentally friendly product design.

The results of the projects were presented on three workshops, organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Environment and Water Management.

The study is available for download [pdf, 906 KB, German].