The rapid increase in the number of industries and generation of plastic goods every day is becoming a threat to the environment. The use of plastics superfluously is altering the food chain and inviting numerous life-threatening, epidemic diseases. Thus, managing these tons of waste products is a severe socio-economic concern faced by the government.
Under such circumstances, it became compulsory for the government to take immediate steps and focus on sustainable environment development. There was an urgent need for policies and strategies to bring protection to the environment. For this, the government came up with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in 2006 and introduced it into the Plastic Waste Management Rules. EPR training comes to the solution of this major concern regarding environment safety from waste plastics and more.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
The new EPR policy was an extended policy that requires manufacturers to bear the responsibilities of their manufactured products. In a nutshell, the new policy asks the manufacturers to take every step of the manufacturing process with utmost care and attention. Be it selecting product designs, or raw materials, being just a part of the final process in manufacturing, and every step must be environment-friendly. Besides, EPR also asks the organization to ensure and manage packing units safely, even at the disposable stage.
This compliance aims to bring changes in the manufacturing sectors and shape the recycling industry ultimately. Extended Producer Responsibility asks producers and importers to bear the products' responsibility in the whole product life-cycle. It demands manufacturing setups to set up a waste management team and ensure that their product waste is disposed ofin an organized manner. It also encourages manufacturers to make products that are recyclable and bio-degradable. Overall, the policy takes commitment from the producer to design those products which will have little effect on the environment.
Perks of Extended Producer Responsibility
- EPR reduces waste production in every stage of product manufacturing. That means there will be very little waste on the entire product life-cycle.
- The policy gives rise to the production of environmentally friendly products. Through EPR, manufacturers will produce bio-degradable and easily recyclable products. As environmental product manufacturing increases, the tilt of sustainable development also gets a rightwards shift, i.e., goes up in the safe zone.
- Manufacturing costs are also lowered to a great extent. As there is less wastage of products in the product life-cycle, so there is less use of products, and hence the cost mathematically cuts down. Also, the creation of recyclable products adds an advantage of using the products once used to put in use again.
- Besides the necessary steps inside the organization, Extended Producer Responsibility also emphasizes encouraging consumers to use their products. It involves creating awareness programs to engage the public and make them a part of the eco-friendly environment.
Conclusion
In case one is not sure about how to implement the desired compliance for the manufacturing set up, taking EPR Support Services from recognized EPR consultant and firms are recommended. They have the expertise in guiding one to make environmentally friendly products and accept legal and socio-economic concerns.