Producer Responsibility

Producer responsibility in the UK is a policy tool that is an extension of the "polluter pays" principle, and is aimed at ensuring that businesses who place products on the market take responsibility for those products once they have reached the end of their life.

The following Directives were identified in the European Union's Fifth Environment Action Programme as "priority waste streams" because of growing concern about their impact on the environment.

  • EC Directive on Packaging & Packaging Waste (94/62/EC external link)
  • EC Directive on Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (2002/96/EC external link)
  • EC Directive on End of Life Vehicles (2000/53/EC external link)
  • EC Directive on Waste Batteries & Accumulators (2006/66/EC external link)

These Directives clearly place responsibility on producers to bear the costs of collection, sorting or treatment and recycling or recovery.  All of these Directives have been transposed into UK law.

For more information on how the UK Regulations may affect your business please follow the links on the menu bar.