Real-world examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility

Standout examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility in 2024–2025

The best examples of extended producer responsibility have a few things in common: they change how products are designed, they pay for what happens after sale, and they make performance transparent. Here are some of the clearest, real-world examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility across sectors.

1. EU packaging EPR: modulated fees that reward better design

The European Union has been the global testing ground for EPR on packaging. Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, producers pay fees to national Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) based on how hard their packaging is to collect and recycle.

The practice to watch is modulated fees. Instead of a flat fee per ton, producers pay higher rates for hard-to-recycle materials and lower rates for packaging that is recyclable, reusable, or made with recycled content. France’s CITEO system is a well-known example: transparent fee schedules, clear eco-design guidelines, and public reporting on recycling performance.

Why this counts as one of the best examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility:

• It links eco-design directly to cost. A switch from multi-layer plastic to mono-material packaging can materially lower a producer’s EPR bill.
• It creates predictable, long-term funding for municipal recycling systems.
• It publishes performance data, which lets regulators and NGOs benchmark progress.

For companies selling into the EU, this isn’t theory—it’s a line item in the P&L that now shapes packaging decisions from the first design brief.

2. Maine and Oregon: next-generation packaging EPR in the US

Until recently, the United States lagged behind Europe on EPR. That’s changing fast. Maine and Oregon passed the first modern EPR laws for packaging in 2021, with Colorado and California following. These laws are early but already shaping how brands think about packaging in a circular economy.

Maine’s law stands out for its full net-cost coverage approach. Producers must fund nearly all municipal recycling and waste management costs for covered packaging. Oregon’s system adds strong requirements for:

• Producer-funded infrastructure upgrades, not just operating costs
• Reuse and refill targets for certain packaging types
• Equity considerations, including better recycling access in rural and historically underserved communities

For companies, this is an example of best practices for extended producer responsibility because it forces long-term planning: packaging choices made today will carry cost and reporting implications for years. It also encourages collaboration between brands, recyclers, and local governments instead of leaving cities to fend for themselves.

For policy details and updates on state EPR laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains helpful resources on sustainable materials management: https://www.epa.gov/smm

3. WEEE and e-waste: Europe’s electronics take-back systems

Electronics are textbook candidates for EPR: high material value, growing waste volumes, and serious environmental risks if mismanaged. The EU’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive has created one of the most mature EPR systems for electronics.

Manufacturers and importers of electronics must:

• Register and report products placed on the market
• Finance collection and treatment of end-of-life devices
• Meet minimum collection and recovery targets by product category

Several countries go further with design incentives. For example, some PROs adjust fees based on repairability or the presence of hazardous substances. That pushes producers toward:

• Easier disassembly
• Standardized components
• Reduced use of toxic materials

This is a clear example of best practices for extended producer responsibility because it doesn’t stop at funding recycling. It nudges the entire product system toward longer lifespans and safer material flows.

The European Environment Agency provides data and analysis on WEEE performance and trends: https://www.eea.europa.eu

4. Deposit-return systems: beverage producers funding high-return loops

Deposit-return systems (DRS) for beverage containers are one of the most visible, public-facing examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility. While they often involve retailers and consumers, the financial backbone is producer-funded.

In leading programs like Germany’s DRS or the Canadian province of British Columbia, producers:

• Finance collection, sorting, and processing infrastructure
• Set and adjust deposit values to hit recovery rates above 85–90% for many container types
• Use data from the system to inform design (for example, shifting toward containers that perform better in the deposit loop)

These systems show how EPR can deliver high, measurable recovery rates when the economic signal is strong enough. In the U.S., states like Oregon and Michigan have long-standing bottle bills, and newer policy conversations are exploring how DRS can integrate with packaging EPR to avoid double-charging producers while still hitting ambitious collection targets.

For an overview of EPR and related policy tools in the U.S., see the EPA’s discussion of extended producer responsibility and product stewardship: https://www.epa.gov/smm/extended-producer-responsibility

5. Textiles and fashion: France’s EPR scheme and the rise of reuse

The fashion industry is rapidly moving into the EPR spotlight. France has one of the most advanced EPR systems for textiles, covering clothing, household linens, and shoes.

Brands selling into France must:

• Register with an approved PRO (such as Refashion)
• Pay fees based on product type and volume
• Support collection, sorting, recycling, and increasingly reuse and repair initiatives

Some of the best examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility in textiles include:

• Eco-modulated fees that reward durable, repairable, and recyclable designs
• Funding for repair vouchers and community repair networks
• Investments in fiber-to-fiber recycling technologies

This is where EPR intersects directly with circular economy principles: producers are not just paying to manage waste; they are co-funding the infrastructure and innovation needed to keep fibers in circulation.

6. Voluntary EPR-style programs: printer cartridges, mattresses, and more

Not all EPR happens through legislation. Some sectors have built voluntary or hybrid EPR schemes to get ahead of regulation or to solve specific waste challenges.

Printer cartridge take-back programs are one example. Major manufacturers run closed-loop systems where used cartridges are collected (often at retailers or via mail-back), then remanufactured or recycled into new cartridges or other plastic products. From a circular economy lens, these programs have several EPR-aligned best practices:

• Clear producer responsibility for collecting and managing end-of-life products
• Design for remanufacturing, with standardized components and materials
• Transparent claims about recycled content and recovery rates

Similarly, mattress recycling programs in U.S. states like California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island—run by the Mattress Recycling Council—operate under state laws but are heavily industry-led. Producers fund collection and recycling, and the system has achieved high recovery rates for steel, foam, and fibers.

These are quieter but very practical examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility, especially for bulky products that strain municipal systems.

7. Data, reporting, and digital product passports: the new backbone of EPR

As EPR systems mature, data quality is becoming just as important as collection rates. One of the best examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility emerging in 2024–2025 is the use of standardized reporting and digital product information.

The EU’s upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements for batteries and other product groups are a strong signal of where this is going. Producers will need to provide structured, accessible data on:

• Material composition
• Recycled content
• Repair and disassembly instructions
• End-of-life handling

Even before DPP becomes widespread, leading companies are already integrating EPR reporting into their ESG and sustainability disclosures, aligning with frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the emerging International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards.

This is an example of best practices for extended producer responsibility because it turns EPR from a compliance chore into a data asset. With better data, producers can:

• Accurately forecast EPR costs
• Identify high-impact design changes
• Negotiate more effectively with PROs and recyclers

8. Integrating EPR into product design and procurement decisions

The most forward-looking examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility don’t sit in the compliance department—they sit in design, procurement, and finance.

Leading companies are now:

• Embedding EPR cost signals into internal carbon and material pricing tools
• Requiring suppliers to meet design-for-recycling and design-for-reuse criteria that align with EPR rules in key markets
• Running scenario analyses on future EPR costs as part of capital planning

For instance, a consumer goods company designing a new packaging line may now compare:

• A cheaper but hard-to-recycle multi-material pouch, with higher EPR fees and reputational risk
• A slightly more expensive mono-material or reusable option, with lower long-term EPR costs and better alignment with retailer and policy expectations

This internalization of EPR into day-to-day business decisions is one of the best examples of extended producer responsibility maturing from a niche policy tool into a core lever of circular business strategy.

Common patterns across the best examples of extended producer responsibility

Looking across these real examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility, a few patterns are hard to ignore.

EPR works best when it changes design, not just waste contracts

The strongest systems make it more expensive to sell products that are wasteful, toxic, or impossible to recycle—and cheaper to sell products that fit circular economy principles. Modulated fees, deposit-return systems, and eco-design criteria all push in this direction.

If your EPR strategy is only about writing checks to a PRO, you’re missing the point. The best examples show EPR acting as a design and innovation signal, not just a post-hoc clean-up fund.

Transparency and metrics separate leaders from laggards

From WEEE collection rates to packaging recycling performance, the standout EPR systems publish data. That transparency allows:

• Regulators to tighten or adjust rules
• NGOs and researchers to evaluate real-world impacts
• Investors and customers to distinguish credible action from greenwash

In practical terms, that means companies need strong internal data systems for product volumes, materials, and end-of-life outcomes. As DPP and similar tools roll out, the bar for data quality is only going up.

Collaboration beats fragmentation

The best examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility show shared infrastructure and collective action:

• Producers collaborate through PROs to fund and manage systems at scale
• Municipalities and recyclers coordinate with brands rather than working in isolation
• NGOs and academics help design metrics, study outcomes, and highlight gaps

Trying to run dozens of separate, brand-specific schemes in the same geography is a recipe for confusion and inefficiency. The most effective EPR systems are coordinated, even when they allow competition among service providers.

How to use these examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility in your strategy

If you’re a producer, retailer, or policymaker, these real examples aren’t just interesting case studies—they’re a roadmap.

A few practical moves that borrow directly from the best examples of extended producer responsibility:

• Map your exposure: Identify where you already fall under EPR rules (packaging, electronics, batteries, textiles) and where new laws are emerging.
• Quantify your EPR cost drivers: Which materials, formats, or product lines generate the highest EPR fees or risks?
• Align design criteria with EPR signals: Use modulated fee schedules and PRO eco-design guidelines as design checklists.
• Invest in data and reporting: Treat EPR reporting like financial reporting—structured, auditable, and integrated with ESG.
• Engage in policy development: The best outcomes usually happen when producers, cities, and civil society design EPR systems together.

These steps won’t make you a headline overnight, but they will put you in the same league as the real examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility that regulators and investors are watching.

FAQ: examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility

Q1. What are some concrete examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility that a mid-sized company can copy?
Realistic starting points include: adopting design guidelines from existing EPR systems (such as EU packaging or French textiles), joining or forming an industry association to coordinate EPR responses, and piloting take-back or repair programs for a single high-impact product line. You don’t need a national law to start aligning your design and reporting practices with these examples.

Q2. Can you give an example of extended producer responsibility that clearly improves recycling rates?
Deposit-return systems for beverage containers are one of the clearest examples. In jurisdictions with well-designed DRS, recovery rates for cans and bottles often exceed 85–90%. Producers fund the system, and the deposit gives consumers a direct financial incentive to return containers.

Q3. Are there examples of EPR that go beyond recycling and support reuse or repair?
Yes. France’s textile EPR scheme is a strong example. It uses producer fees to support reuse networks, repair vouchers, and innovation in fiber-to-fiber recycling. Some electronics EPR programs also support repair and refurbishment, not just material recovery.

Q4. How can companies in the U.S. prepare for more EPR laws?
Monitor state-level legislation (especially for packaging, electronics, and batteries), study existing examples of best practices for extended producer responsibility in the EU and Canada, and start integrating EPR cost and design signals into internal decision-making. Building data systems and supplier expectations now will make compliance far less painful later.

Q5. Are voluntary take-back programs considered examples of extended producer responsibility?
They can be. When producers fund and manage end-of-life collection and treatment for their products—such as printer cartridges, mattresses, or certain electronics—those programs align strongly with EPR principles, even if not mandated by law. Policymakers often look at these voluntary examples when designing future regulations.