Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility, physical and/or financial, for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle. In Canada there are more than 50 EPR/Product Stewardship Programs operating at regional, provincial, and national levels. These programs address more than a dozen separate products and materials.

The aim of stewardship is to find better methods of diverting or reducing the amount of designated materials from landfill sites and encouraging product producers to consider design-for the-environment changes to manufacturing processes. This is achieved by bringing greater levels of responsibility to the producers and users of the materials and products. Manitoba has been actively working with stakeholders to implement product stewardship programs since 1990.

• Environment Canada’s Extended Producer Responsibility and Stewardship site
• Extended Producer Responsibility (Green Manitoba)

• 2nd National EPR Conference
• 3rd National EPR Conference
• 4th National EPR Conference
• 5th National EPR Conference