Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change has given special emphasis on strengthen the Extended Producer Responsibility in all types of Waste Management Rules notified in 2016. This may help the nation to have efficient waste management system with shared responsibility of all stakeholders of society.

Extended Producer Responsibility is a concept where manufacturers, producer, brand owner, and importers of products should bear a significant degree of responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the product life-cycle, including selection of raw material and design to produce the product and its packaging, efficient manufacturing process with minimum impact on environment, and develop collection back mechanism for the post consumed products and get it recycle.

IPCA is a India first registered Producer Responsibility Organization(PRO) with Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) for managing plastic waste and help Producers/Brand owner to develop an action plan and execute EPR policy on ground at national level.

EPR Services

EPR Services In order to implement EPR at pan India level, IPCA provides a range of services to PIBOs. These services include, but not limited to consultancy, training, EPR registration, preparation of EPR action plans, awareness related activities for plastic waste management, capacity building of waste workers, secondary storage services, plastic waste collection from end users, recycling, scientific disposal, documentation and reporting. Apart from these services, IPCA also takes care of the legal component of EPR. These services aims to achieve the commitment/target set for PIBOs and IPCA looks after whole process of plastic waste management. IPCA has created a network of more than 30,000 waste workers across 35 States and UTs of India. It has also developed a supply chain of various waste commodities from collection to its end of life disposal through its extensive work and engagement. For effective waste management, IPCA has established a network of Dry Waste Collection Centre/Material Recovery Facility in 35 States/UT. IPCA makes sure that each component of the process is given due importance.

Extended Producer Responsibility Services

To minimize the damaging impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016. The rule introduced the mandate for the Producers, Brand Owners & Importers (PIBOs) to bear a certain responsibility for the negative environmental impacts of their products due to plastic packaging. The rule clarifies the accountability of the PIBOs for post-consumer stages of the products life and instructs them to develop a collect back mechanism for equivalent quantity of plastic packaging consumed by them, and this whole system is referred as Extended ProducerResponsibility (EPR). The rule on EPR aims to make industries more mindful towards environment and guide them in
internalizing the element of pollution prevention and sustainable management of natural resources in their
processe

IPCA is the trailblazer who prepared & executed the EPR Action Plan in 2017 for five leading brands (PepsiCo., Dabur India Limited, Perfetti Van Melle, Dharampal Satyapal Ltd., and Nestle) to fulfil their EPR obligations. To accomplish the action plan efficiently, IPCA has evolved a network of waste workers, scrap dealers, aggregators, and authorized recyclers/co-processors for the collection, segregation and recycling/co-processing of plastic waste including Multi-layered Plastic, PET, LDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, and PVC. During FY 2021-22, IPCA has intensified up its operation significantly and established collection back mechanism for plastic waste in 35 States and UTs of the Country. Currently, IPCA is assisting over 100 PIBOs in fulfilling their EPR compliances through its established methodology that addresses all the crucial components beginning from awareness generation till scientific disposal of plastic waste. IPCA’s team of dedicated and enthusiastic professionals has developed a strong collection back mechanism for different commodities of plastic waste and established a strong relationship with all stakeholders involved in supply chain. IPCA has made their action plan execution strategy aligned with the latest Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

EPR Approach

To make EPR implementation effective, there is need of synergy between three crucial components, the ULBs who have been collecting waste and are a part of the organized waste collection channel, the informal sector covering the waste workers and the component of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) to build cognizance, knowledge and capacity. IPCA dedicatedly works towards all three components to have a measurable positive impact on the society.

 

To make EPR implementation effective, there is need of synergy between three crucial components, the ULBs who have been collecting waste and are a part of the organized waste collection channel, the informal sector covering the waste workers and the component of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) to build cognizance, knowledge and capacity. IPCA dedicatedly works towards all three components to have a measurable positive impact on the society.

Annual Statistics for EPR

In the year 2021-22, IPCA partnered with more than 400 organizations including brand owners, Municipal Corporations, Collection partners, Co-processers and Recycling partners.

One of the major components that IPCA takes care of, while executing EPR, is the generation of awareness related to plastic waste management. To do so, IPCA has conducted more than 100 awareness programmes including cleanup drives, training and capacity building sessions for waste workers, plastic waste exchange programmes and others, at Pan India level.

Awareness Related Activities

During FY 2021-22, IPCA has made sincere efforts to scale up the plastic waste collection in the country and at present has presence in 35 States and Union territories of India.

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