Introduction
This module provides a comprehensive overview of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a policy instrument for transitioning to a circular economy. It explores the ethical obligations of companies and public bodies to manage the environmental impact of their products, particularly plastic waste.
The curriculum delves into the practical application of EPR, including its key principles, various schemes, and the critical role of stakeholder engagement. The module also addresses the issue of “greenwashing” and the broader context of environmental ethics that underpins the concept of producer responsibility.
The overall goal is to foster an understanding of EPR not just as a regulation, but as an ethical framework promoting transparency, accountability, and sustainability.
Enjoy the Learning Journey!
EDU4Plastic Team
Lesson Learning Outcomes
After completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
Understand Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a foundational policy instrument that shifts end-of-life product management from municipalities to producers , driving the transition from a linear to a circular economy.
- They will analyze the “new” and “traditional” production and consumption. patterns and their effects on natural, built environment, including human being.
- They will define the concept of EPR, its key principles and components.
Explain how plastic traceability and digital technologies, like the Digital Product Passport (DPP), provide the essential data and transparency needed to enforce EPR, verify recycling claims, and combat greenwashing.
- They will analyze the plastic traceability and the links with EPR, in organizations.
- They will analyze the implementation of digital technologies in organizations.
Analyze the ethical framework underpinning producer responsibility, where EPR is viewed not just as a regulation, but as a moral obligation for companies and public bodies to ensure transparency, fairness, and long-term environmental stewardship.
- They will analyze activities in organizations/ institutions from environmental ethics perspective.
- They will identify engineer roles as consequence of EPR scheme implementation.
- They will develop communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills within the framework of EPR scheme implementation.
