As nations become wealthier, they tend to consume increasing amounts of materials. In the absence of any further policy interventions, projections by the OECD suggest that global materials use could almost double by 2060, thereby also generating increasing amounts of waste, which need to be disposed of responsibly (OECD 2018). Global assessments by the World Bank suggest that the world generated about 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2016. Following a business-as-usual trajectory, this amount is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050 (Kaza 2018). In this context, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has become recognized as an internationally applied policy principle that helps reduce waste generation and promote re-use and recycling operations. EPR was first introduced in the 1990s by Germany, Sweden and France (OECD 2014). Since then, it has been continuously adopted by more and more countries across Europe. As of 2014, the World Bank recorded a total of 106 legally binding EPR schemes under implementation by EU Member States (then 28), mainly in the area of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), waste packaging, waste batteries and end-of-life vehicles (Kaza 2018). Thereafter, the EU has undergone significant institutional and legislative changes but EPR has remained at the centre of its waste management policies.

European countries have achieved tremendous success from the EPR scheme over the years and its positive impact on the environmental front has trickled unto Asian countries to pursue this similar policy. In fact, Malaysia has recognised the need to create an EPR scheme to demand greater responsibility from producers to improve packaging designs with less material and higher recyclability and to support waste collection and separation. In this upcoming Regtalk where leading experts are invited to share their thoughts and insights on how Europe has achieved thus far on the EPR front, Malaysian policymakers, producers and other related stakeholders would have an opportunity to gain an understanding of Europe's EPR inner workings and the policy and regulatory framework that governs the scheme. Also, the panel of speakers can also shed some light on the current weakness, challenges of the EPR and the opportunities that Malaysia can benefit from the potential adoption since Malaysian policymakers are currently working on an EPR framework in order to avoid costly mistakes and to ensure a proper roll-out of the scheme in the near term.

Join us in this exciting in-person event sponsored by Futurise Sdn Bhd .