EPR Governance

EPR Policy Tool

Governance

Policy for how the scheme is coordinated, managed, and overseen across all stakeholders.

Governance is a critical tool in the EPR toolbox that focuses on how the scheme is coordinated, managed, and overseen across all stakeholders. Unlike the regulatory framework, which sets the legal rules, governance ensures that those rules are implemented effectively through clear roles and responsibilities, collaborative processes, and oversight mechanisms.

Effective governance involves:

• Clearly defining roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders, such as producers (brands, importers), retailers, municipalities, consumers, and governments, so that each stakeholder understands their obligations and how they contribute to system performance.
• Supports stakeholder coordination and decision-making, enabling producers, governments, and other actors to work together through structured processes such as advisory boards and working groups.
• Establishing transparent processes for monitoring, reporting, enforcement, and continuous improvement, so that progress can be tracked and the system can adapt over time.

A key governance feature in many EPR schemes is the establishment of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), which may be tasked with managing EPR fees and/or organising waste management operations on behalf of producers. PROs operate within the rules set by government and are subject to oversight and stakeholder input, but governance extends well beyond PROs to include all actors and processes that shape the EPR scheme.

Good governance also involves inclusive stakeholder engagement, ensuring that municipalities, civil society, and industry voices are heard in the design and evolution of the system. Ultimately, strong governance fosters collaboration, builds legitimacy, and maintains oversight, creating a level playing field and enabling EPR schemes to deliver consistent, measurable outcomes.

Links to external reading

Prevent Waste Alliance. (2023). Factsheet 01 – How can roles and responsibilities in packaging value chains be defined?

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). (2022). Guidance to Facilitate Consistent Extended Producer Responsibility Policies and Programs for Plastics.

OECD. (2024).Extended Producer Responsibility: Basic facts and key principles.