EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility. The idea is simple. If your brand puts packaging into the market, you are now responsible for what happens to it after the consumer throws it away. You pay into a system that funds collection, sorting and recycling.
Here is how four major markets are handling it right now. United Kingdom
One of the early movers. Since 2024, brands pay fees based on how much packaging they place on the market and what
material it is made from. Producers are now financially responsible for packaging waste for the first time.
Canada
Over 90% of Canadians already have access to recycling services. Ontario completed its transition to 100% producer funding in January 2026. British Columbia has been running one of North America’s most established EPR programs for years and is the reference model other provinces follow.
United States
Moving state by state. California requires a 25% reduction in plastic packaging by 2032. Colorado started charging EPR fees in January 2026. Maine, Oregon and Maryland have all passed packaging EPR laws. No single federal law yet but the direction is very clear.
India
EPR for plastic packaging became mandatory in 2022, making India one of the first developing economies to enforce it. Rigid plastic packaging now requires 30% recycled content this year, rising to 40% in 2026-27 and eventually to 60%. Flexible and multilayer packaging also have their own phased targets.
The common thread across all four is the same.
Packaging waste is no longer just an environmental concern. It is becoming a financial obligation that sits directly on the producer’s balance sheet.
If you are selling packaged goods in any of these markets, EPR is no longer a sustainability conversation. It is a business one.