The LIFE4EPR project – towards harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility schemes across the EU – has started this May. Funded by the European Commission, the project will last 2 years. The consortium includes Fundació ENT (project coordinator), ACR+, ECO, ZWE, WF, SOTELO i VUB.
The project is designed in response to three main findings regarding EPR schemes in the EU:
(a) the absence of an EU-wide overview of EPR schemes at MS level
(b) the lack of harmonization among existing producers/products’ registers
(c) the lack of knowledge on environmental effectiveness of EPR programmes.
In view of this, the project aims to enhance the effectiveness, governance, and cost efficiency of EPR schemes by studying current practices, developing a technical tool, and delivering policy recommendations. Through stakeholder engagement, the project will map EPR schemes, benchmark case studies, and test a harmonized EU-wide register.