According to studies by conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature Philippine (WWF-Philippines), each Filipino consumes a yearly average of 20kgs of plastics, and 15.43kgs of it becomes total plastic waste. The country is also suffering from a very low plastic recycling rate of 9% and the studies show that the Philippines leaks about 35% of plastic waste into the environment.
WWF-Philippines has long been an advocate of the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) Law. The EPR scheme is a critical policy tool that holds producers accountable for the full life cycle of their products and packaging. EPR is an environmental policy approach that emerged in the 1990s and is now increasingly recognized globally as a useful tool for accelerating the transition to sustainable waste management and a circular economy. This scheme encourages waste reduction through the elimination of unnecessary packaging of products, the development of more environmentally friendly packaging design, and the recovery of plastic packaging from the trash in order to reuse or recycle them back into the production process.
Read more about WWF-Philippines’ advocacy involving the EPR Law HERE and HERE.
After years of dialogues, the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022 (now called RA 11898) finally lapsed into law last July 23, 2022. Right after its passage, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) started multi-sectoral consultations to craft the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the EPR Law. The law mandates that Obliged Enterprises (OEs) should phase in EPR programs within six months, with yearly incremental target recovery rates starting at 20 percent in 2023 and building up to 80 percent by 2028.
For now, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are excluded from compliance with the EPR Law since they still will not be able to bear the costs associated with it due to the effects of the pandemic.
WWF-Philippines is releasing a white paper to help the Philippine government in the upcoming implementation of the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) Law.
To successfully implement the EPR Law in the country, WWF-Philippines highlights several key points that need monitoring in the first year of the EPR Law’s implementation:
- The role of Producer Responsibility Operator (PRO) and stakeholders
- A public registry and information data bank – need for a simple process for registration and compliance, a database of OEs and their submitted EPR programs, baselines of plastic footprint, and yearly compliance
- Eco-modulation of EPR fees and eco-financing – There is a need to ensure support for improving the solid waste management system through eco-financing, an incentive to improve plastic packaging design, and a goal to replace low-value plastic packaging with high-value plastic packaging, with lower EPR fees due to higher recyclability
- Investments in research and development, technology sharing, and reduction of plastic wastes – There is a need for coordinated plans of action for fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, technology sharing, recycling facilities all over the country, and use of more recycled plastic material in manufacturing
- Labeling in aid of re-use, return, recycling – Labels should be easy to see and followed by anyone
- EPR programs should be inclusive and must build on the existing system – It must have nationwide reach which includes far-flung areas and not just concentrated in urban areas or cities
The OEs have three (3) options for compliance
- Submit their EPR programs individually
- Submit as a group or collective (as when they carry the same brands or trademarks)
- Join a PRO that would take care of submitting their EPR program
WWF-Philippines actively pushes for actions against plastic pollution through its “No Plastic in Nature Initiative”. It is WWF’s global initiative to stop the flow of plastics entering nature by 2030 through the elimination of unnecessary plastics, doubling reuse, recycling, and recovery, and ensuring remaining plastic is sourced responsibly. Through this initiative, WWF-Philippines has been working with cities on plastic leakage, policymakers to advocate for a global treaty on plastic pollution and EPR, businesses to transition to circular business models, and the general public to campaign and act.
To know more about WWF-Philippines and its initiatives, please visit https://wwf.org.ph/