Interesting idea from our neighbors to the North. Perhaps we need something like this in the United States as well, Matt Prindiville, Associate Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 23, 2012
EPR Canada launches new Report Card to evaluate provincial Environmental Programs
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Friday March 23, 2012 – Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs are burgeoning in every province across Canada in an effort to have waste producers pay for the management of consumer products and packaging that they put into the marketplace. EPR Canada today announced the launch of a Report Card to evaluate the policies which support these programs. This first of its kind environmental Report Card will be made public and be posted on the EPR Canada website (eprcanada.ca) in June this year.
“This week, we are mailing detailed questionnaires to the Environment Ministers of each provincial government asking them to provide specific information on their policies and programs to support extended producer responsibility” said Duncan Bury one of the leads for this new initiative. “Government legislation and actions play a key role in stimulating private sector and consumer activity in EPR program development, performance and monitoring”.
EPR Canada has assembled a panel of the leading experts in the field in Canada to review each government’s response and to score their performance. The results of these scores will be released at an open public event this June and will be posted on the EPR Canada website.
“We of course can’t compel every government to participate” said Geoff Love, another project lead for EPR Canada, “but we are confident that provincial authorities will find it to be in their interest to conduct an annual, independent check-up of these important environmental programs. Extended producer responsibility is one environmental area where Canada continues to be a world leader”.
The project is internally funded by the founding members of EPR Canada. It is expected that a Report Card will be prepared each year for the next 5 years.
EPR Canada was formed in the fall of 2011 as a not for profit association of
like-minded individuals who have been involved with producer responsibility
programs across Canada since the inception of EPR in provinces across Canada.
The seven founding members are profiled on the website at eprcanada.ca. The
goal of the association is to help ensure the continued growth and improvement
of EPR policies programs and practices across Canada.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment defines extended producer responsibility (EPR) as a policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility, physical and/or financial, for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle. EPR shifts responsibility upstream in the product life cycle to the producer and away from municipalities. As a policy approach it provides incentives to producers to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products. EPR also shifts the historical public sector tax-supported responsibility for some waste to the individual brand owner, manufacturer or first importer.
For further information please contact Duncan Bury or Geoff Love or write to info@eprcanada.ca.
Contacts:
Duncan Bury
Extended Producer Responsibility Canada
613-729-0499
Geoff Love
EPR Canada
519-305-0984
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