EPR in Action: PCX Solutions releases new report on EPR implementation in the Philippines

The Philippines’ Extended Producer Responsibility Law began implementation in 2023, and is regarded as one of the most ambitious EPR laws, requiring large enterprises to take responsibility for an increasing percentage of their plastic footprint–measured in weight–from 20% in 2023 to 80% in 2028. Since then, EPR implementation and the increasing targets have put pressure not just on the Obliged Enterprises and Producer Responsibility Organizations, but most of all on the country’s Solid Waste Management system, its poor collection and segregation mechanisms and lack of recycling infrastructure. 

In this report, we spoke to 26 stakeholders from across the value chain to present the practices that have emerged to fill in the gaps and focused them into the following areas:

• Data management and monitoring systems

• Social inclusion

• Upstream and midstream interventions, including Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) 

These components shape how implementation is practiced, and how EPR is ultimately measured and reported. Reporting EPR compliance is achieved through the EPR Compliance Audit Report, containing two critical pieces of information: an OE’s audited plastic packaging footprint, and their waste diversion accomplishment. Behind the ECAR is the work of many: Obliged Enterprises, Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), Waste Diverters and Aggregators, and Informal Waste Workers (IWWs). This report documents the implementation realities of EPR stakeholders, and the strategies, innovations, and collaborations that they have developed to operationalize EPR in the Philippines. The cases presented here offer practical insights and recommendations that may inform replication, scaling, and policy development.

Read the full report here.

This Report was created under the project “Strengthening national capacities of nine Asia-Pacific countries to address plastic pollution by developing, updating, monitoring and reporting on National Action Plans, in the context of the negotiation for a global agreement,” which supported EPR implementation in the Philippines. This initiative was funded by the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund and implemented in close coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

#PhilippinesEPR #ExtendedProducerResponsibility #CircularEconomy #EndPlasticPollution #SocialInclusion