January 15, 2025

A year in Partnership – The Global Action Partnership Looks Back on 2024 

It is hard to imagine that only a year has passed since we officially launched the Global Action Partnership for Extended Producer Responsibility. 2024 has seen an increased level of energy and commitment, with a vastly growing interest in EPR all over the world. 

Let’s reflect on 2024 and share some GAP for EPR highlights of the year. 

With a goal of jointly advancing EPR, we took important steps to build the three pillars necessary to achieve just that: our community, our library, and our helpdesk. 

 

Building a growing community 

With both an increased share of public and closed member-only events, the GAP for EPR has provided numerous spaces to connect and share knowledge in 2024. In collaboration with partners and experts, we held webinars on policy measures, EPR structures, and specialised areas such as construction. We also discussed with our members practical EPR implementation and upstream measures such as reuse. 

Our series “PROs around the Globe”, organised alongside the GreenTechKnowledgeHub, introduced six different Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) from five different countries and discussed questions on structures, set-ups, and processes necessary for an EPR system. The series closed with the presentation of PRO Alliances, coalitions and an open-source EPR Registration Tool.  

 

Making Knowledge Accessible 

At INC-5 and at IFAT we stimulated a discussion on the potential of EPR and its chances to support a Just Transition. An audience of over 170 people also joined us at the World Circular Economy Forum 2024 where we launched the GAP for EPR policy paper about basic facts and key principles of Extended Producer Responsibility! 

The policy paper wasn’t the only meaningful contribution to our GAP for EPR library in 2024. Thanks to a vast number of submissions from community members and partners, we were able to add more than 20 new peer-reviewed publications to the library pool. The latest being a translated-version of our EPR Toolbox – into Montenegrin! 

 

Supporting EPR Journeys Across the Globe 

One year ago, the GAP for EPR identified a pressing need for support in understanding and evaluating country-specific requirements for EPR implementation. Where webinars and the time-restraints of event discussions don’t suffice, our EPR Helpdesk steps in. This year, we have kicked off our support with the Helpdesk pilots in Malaysia and Argentina: 

Through consultancy service, the pilot successfully supported two potential Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), i.e., Compromiso Empresarial para el Reciclaje (CEMPRE) Argentina and the Malaysian Recycling Alliance (MAREA), in assessing the status of EPR in their respective countries, identifying the well-suited PRO models, and providing technical advice on PRO operation. 

And not only these bigger projects were part of the EPR Helpdesk: The GAP for EPR also provided support upon smaller requests, such as a tailor-made introductory training course on EPR for Small Countries and Island States in the Caribbean, a bilateral consultation sessions with government officials and professionals involved in environmental policy and waste management from Mauritius, as well as consultation sessions with the Secretariat and members of the Indonesian Packaging Recovery Organisation (IPRO). 

Finally, the GAP for EPR, in cooperation with the Indian Ocean Commission and ACEN Foundation organised a workshop to support a joint resolution to introduce an EPR system in IOC member states. 

 

The Road Ahead 

In 2025, the GAP for EPR will continue to bring Extended Producer Responsibility forward. To make EPR more accessible, we’re organising introductory webinars in French and Spanish respectively right at the beginning of the year. 

We’ve also been working on a Spanish version of our policy paper on the basics of EPR and will release the findings of our helpdesk pilots in Malaysia and Argentina! 

Join us this year in jointly advancing EPR. Together, we can connect EPR experts worldwide, foster collaboration, and innovate EPR implementation and research.