Source Beauty Primer: Extended Producer Responsibility
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts the burden of packaging waste from consumers to producers. For beauty brands, it’s both a compliance requirement and an opportunity to lead on packaging sustainability.
What Is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach that makes producers—rather than consumers or governments—responsible for the full lifecycle of their products and packaging. This means companies must account for how materials are collected, recycled, or disposed of at the end of use.
Why Does EPR Matter for the Beauty Industry?
The beauty sector is one of the most packaging-intensive industries, relying heavily on plastics, mixed materials, and product formats that are difficult to recycle. EPR regulations shift accountability directly onto companies by requiring them to:
Pay into Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs): Join and fund collective industry groups that manage compliance on behalf of producers, covering the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling.
Redesign packaging for compliance: Reduce hard-to-recycle formats, prioritize mono-materials, and increase use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.
Report detailed packaging data: Track and disclose material types, volumes, and recyclability across markets.
Fund system improvements: Contribute to infrastructure upgrades, consumer education, and development of recycling markets.
How Is EPR Being Implemented Globally?
Global implementation means beauty companies selling across markets must prepare for compliance in multiple jurisdictions at once. EPR regulations are rolling out across multiple regions:
🇪🇺 EUROPEAN UNION: Long-standing EPR schemes covering packaging, with new updates under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES: No federal packaging EPR yet, but states like California, Colorado, Maine, and Oregon have passed EPR laws, with more states considering similar policies.
🇨🇦CANADA: EPR is already a cornerstone of waste management policy, with producer-funded recycling systems in place.
🇯🇵🇰🇷🇮🇳ASIA: Countries such as Japan, South Korea, and India operate EPR schemes targeting plastics and packaging, though requirements differ by market.
What Should Companies Be Doing Now?
By shifting accountability upstream, EPR forces companies to manage packaging impacts directly. This creates new costs but also opens opportunities for innovation. To prepare for EPR, companies should:
Map packaging portfolios: Track materials and formats across all markets to identify risks and gaps.
Build reporting systems: Establish processes to measure packaging volumes, recyclability, and compliance data.
Engage suppliers: Collaborate on packaging innovations and recyclability requirements.
Plan for cost impacts: Anticipate new fees as producers begin to pay into EPR schemes.
Communicate with consumers: Share progress and responsibility messaging transparently to strengthen trust.
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To learn more about how Source Beauty can help your company turn EPR compliance into long-term value creation, you can contact us here. And to stay updated on the latest in sustainability, supply chains, and everything in between, join the Source Beauty Download for quarterly digests.
