THE CASE FOR "EPR FOOTPRINT" LABELS ON CONSUMER PRODUCT
Why is it important?
Imagine you're shopping for a product, and as you examine the label, you see a number—let's call it the "EPR footprint." This number represents the amount of money from your purchase that goes directly towards fulfilling Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, requirements. But why is this idea important, and why should it be part of every product on the shelf?
First, let's start with the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility itself. EPR is a policy that holds manufacturers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, particularly when it comes to waste management and recycling. It's a system designed to reduce the environmental impact of products after they’ve been used by consumers. In short, manufacturers must pay to ensure that products are disposed of or recycled properly.
labels in Action
Now, here's where the idea of an "EPR footprint" comes in. Under an EPR framework, we could require manufacturers to label their products with the exact amount of money from the sale that is allocated to meet EPR obligations. Just as we have nutritional labels that tell us about the contents of food, an EPR label would tell us how much of our purchase price is invested in responsible recycling or disposal efforts.