Lok Sabha Question No. 1694 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-31
Subject: Extended Producer Responsibility
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ganesh Singh, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 16 94

TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2023

## Extended Producer Responsibility

1694.

SHRI GANESH SINGH:

SHRIMATI RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE:

SHRI MANOJ KOTAK:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  promote  Extended  Producer Responsibility (EPR);
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether any law has been proposed for the same;
- (c) the measures being taken to ensure effective enforcement and implementation of EPR rules;
- (d) whether the Government is supporting the development of infrastructure and systems necessary for EPR facility or has any plans for the same and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) the details of the guidelines for EPR on plastic packaging;
- (f) whether  the  fulfillment  of  category-wise  EPR  targets  by  producers,  importers  and brand owners will lead to environmentally sound management of multi-layered plastic usage and if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) whether providing and adopting of EPR guidelines is the way forward in sustainable packaging which has a footprint and high recyclability and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  to  (d):  The  Ministry  of  Environment  Forest  and  Climate  Change,  has  already  notified rules mandating Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the following four categories of wastes: (i) plastic packaging waste, (ii) battery waste, (iii) e-waste and (iv) waste tyre. The rules mandate EPR targets for producers, importers, and brand owners along with modalities for fulfilment of EPR obligations. Separate centralized online portal for each waste category will  ensure  ease of doing  business  along  with  transparency  and  accountability.  The implementation  of  EPR  will  further  strengthening  of  waste  management  infrastructure following principles of circular economy.

(e) to (g): The  Guidelines  on  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  for  plastic  packaging were notified on 16 th  February 2022. The salient feature of the Guidelines are as follows: (i) mandatory registration of Producers, Importers and Brand Owners (PIBOs) & Plastic Waste

Processors (PWPs) through centralized online EPR portal on plastic packaging, (ii) coverage of four categories of plastic packaging - rigid plastic packaging;  flexible plastic packaging including multi-layered plastic; multi-layered plastic packaging (at least one layer of plastic and at least one layer of material other than plastic);  and compostable plastic, (iii) mandatory targets for reuse of rigid plastic packaging,  recycling  & use of recycled plastic content in plastic packaging, (iv) provision of sale & purchase of surplus EPR certificates, (v) levy of environmental  compensation  for  non-fulfilment  of  EPR  obligations,  (vi)  provision  for verification, audit and monitoring of obligated entities.

The  fulfilment  of  quantitative  category-wise  EPR  target  related  to  flexible  plastic packaging which includes multi-layered plastic as well as multi-layered plastic packaging (at least  one  layer  of  plastic  and  at  least  one  layer  of  material  other  than  plastic),  as  per  EPR Guidelines, will lead to environmentally sound management of such plastic packaging waste. Further, the EPR Guidelines promote moving towards sustainable plastic packaging.

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