Understanding the implications of the EPR Law

With the signing of Republic Act No. 11898, also known as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, obliged enterprises are now engaged in establishing their own EPR programs to meet the deadline for EPR registration on Feb. 13.

The Philippines is considered one of the top plastic polluters globally. A 2019 study by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives shared that Filipinos use a material amount of plastic packaging. Moreover, the National Solid Waste Management Status Report revealed that recyclables make up almost 30% of waste in the Philippines, comprising mostly of plastics and paper. Meanwhile, a WWF Philippines’ study showed that only around 9% of post-industrial and post-consumer plastics are recycled. This is relatively low compared to other countries, but with the Act now being implemented, there is this greater anticipation that the country will see a significant increase in its overall recycling rate. Although the Act only covers plastic packaging in the early years of its implementation, the coverage will be gradually expanded to encompass other materials as well.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the law were issued in January.

The IRR provides detailed implementation requirements for the obliged enterprises, waste diverters and verification bodies, among others. Having established the need to implement an EPR program, obliged enterprises should explore what steps to take moving forward to comply.

In the first part of this article, we discuss six recovery programs, six reduction strategies and additional steps that obliged enterprises can do as part of their EPR programs.

EPR MECHANISMS: WHAT OBLIGED ENTERPRISES SHOULD PREPARE FOR

As the country moves towards a more circular economy, obliged enterprises have been given the responsibility of managing their products throughout their lifecycles, starting with plastic packaging covered in the Act, with potential expansion of coverage in the future. By the February EPR registration deadline, obliged enterprises are required to submit their EPR programs with both recovery methods to effectively prevent the leakage of waste into the environment, and strategies to reduce non-environmentally preferable packaging products.

The law specifies the recovery targets that obliged enterprises need to meet, beginning with a 20% recovery rate by the end of 2023 until 80% by the end of 2028 and every year thereafter. To do this, the IRR presents six recovery programs that obliged enterprises can do as part of their EPR programs:

1. Waste recovery schemes through redemption, buy-back and offsetting with the goal of achieving high retrievability, high recyclability and resource recovery of packaging waste;

2. Diversion of recovered waste with the intention of diverting packaging waste into value chains or other value-adding useful products;

3. Transportation of recovered waste to proper diversion or disposal sites, ensuring proper tracking for traceability and transparency;

4. Involvement in waste clean-up in coastal and public areas, with close coordination with local government and communities;

5. Investment in establishing commercial or industrial waste diversion or disposal facilities, backed by a business case or pre-feasibility study to justify the insufficiency of existing facilities in the country; and

6. Partnerships with local governments, communities and informal waste sectors for waste recovery-related purposes, ensuring the adequate and proper involvement of key stakeholders in the EPR program implementation.

On top of the recovery methods, the Act also requires obliged enterprises to adopt measures to reduce non-environmentally preferable packaging products. While the law does not specify reduction targets unlike for recovery, it still provides six reduction strategies:

1. Replacing single-use packaging with reusable ones aimed at improving the packaging’s reusability, recyclability and retrievability;

2. Including recycled content or recycled materials in packaging, considering the amount of material effectively recycled and the efficiency of the recycling process including energy used;

3. Deploying refilling systems for retailers, basing on the amount of single-use containers avoided as a result of the availability of refilling system;

4. Establishing a viable reduction rates plan focused on upstream reduction of used material during the manufacturing of packaging;

5. Preparing an information and education campaign during the first year and updating annually; and

6. Ensuring appropriate labeling of packaging to facilitate recovery, reuse, recycling and proper disposal, following relevant standards and eco-label processes.

TAKING ONE STEP AT A TIME

Since the EPR programs are relatively new to most businesses, obliged enterprises may opt to implement their own EPR programs or decide to work with others, i.e., other obliged enterprises or Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). A PRO refers to an organization that is either formed or authorized by obliged enterprises with the function of supporting them in the formulation, registration, implementation and audit of their EPR programs.

To advance the compliance of obliged enterprises with the provisions of the law, the IRR defines certain incentives. These include tax incentives, consideration of EPR expenses as necessary expenses deductive from gross income, and tax and duty exemptions of donations, legacies, and gifts. However, the law also penalizes non-compliance with fines ranging from P5 to P20 million, with an automatic suspension of a business permit for the third offense.

Registering EPR programs with the National Ecology Center (NEC), which works under the oversight function of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, by February is the first official deadline under the law. The NEC is responsible for maintaining an EPR Registry containing all registered EPR programs, and will provide technical expertise, information, training and networking services for the implementation of the law. Registration is imperative for obliged enterprises and failure to do so is the first possible offense.

With only a few days left before the deadline, obliged enterprises should also consider that the timely submission of their EPR programs would demonstrate their ability to really implement and operationalize these programs in the long-term. Considering that programs are expected to scale-up and be reported regularly moving forward, obliged enterprises must begin to, if they have not yet, incorporate their EPR programs and targets into their corporate strategies and annual plans.

MOVING TOWARDS CIRCULARITY

A shift in mindset and action is necessary in accomplishing a more sustainable way of doing business. Companies should start thinking of long-term strategies for implementing their EPR programs in order to reach the target recovery rate of 80% by 2028 onwards. More than compliance and incentives from this Act, the implementation of these EPR programs will also reflect upon the values of the company, as well as its shareholders and stakeholders.

The transition to a more circular economy in the Philippines still has a long way to go, but the Act serves as a catalyst to encourage collaborative efforts from the government, companies, communities, and informal sectors to make conscious decisions in reducing the generation of plastic wastes in the country.

In the second part of this article, we discuss EPR registration, EPR implementation, and keeping confidence through third-party assurance.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinions expressed above are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co.