Making Sense of Extended Producer Responsibility: Towards a framework for policy transfer

Policy transfer of complex interventions often falls into the trap of uninformed, incomplete, and/or inappropriate transfer because the interventions are insufficiently identified with some of their perceived core components. This is no exception in the interspatial learning about extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes. This thesis aims to transcend this shorthand approach to policy transfer. It combines the evaluations of EPR programmes for the management of end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the developed world with the analysis of the contexts in developing countries. The political areas include the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, India, Argentina, and Thailand. The evaluation research applied theory-based evaluation (TBE) to archival and case data. The context studies used topical interviews and secondary data to conduct qualitative material flow analysis (MFA). The thesis maps out different variances of programmes and policy proposals, linking their mechanisms with policy outcomes, and then specifies key moderating and mediating factors in the actual contexts. In this way, it contributes to the prospect of policy development in developing countries by increasing the analytical tractability and checking the transferability of policy lessons

Extended Producer Responsibility in East Asia: Approaches and lessons learnt from the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment

Environmental protection has become high in the policy agenda of East Asian countries by the end of the last century due to both internal and external stimuli. One of the main environmental issues is the management of solid waste. The concept of circular economy which encourages reduce, reuse, and recycling, i.e. 3Rs, together with the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been promoted principally in the region by the Japanese government and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), respectively. This paper reviews approaches to pursue EPR and analyses factors behind policy development and environmental effectiveness of the respective programmes in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan from the 1990s onward. The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE, or e(lectronic)-waste) is selected as an object of the study. A two-step theory-based evaluation (TBE) is employed to evaluate the effectiveness of WEEE programmes. This paper concludes that internal factors such as limits in waste disposal capacity are more powerful in explaining the speed of policy development and the exact design of WEEE programmes though the role of epistemic communities helps in understanding the policy discourse. The adoption of the restriction of the use of hazardous substances (RoHS) in East Asia, on the other hand, was driven mainly by international trade harmonisation. TBE shows that the impacts of existing WEEE programmes on design improvements varied and the main explanation was the degree of producers’ involvement in the end-of-life management, which was highest in Japan and lowest in Taiwan. It also shows that programmes in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, succeeded to an extent in promoting WEEE recycling although the actual achievements in the area of waste collection were not completely in line with the EPR intervention and implementation theories. In addition, this paper questions the role of exports of used products to less developed countries because this form of “reuse” can compromise environmental protection goals where the imported countries do not have a proper system to ensure environmentally sound management of WEEE when these products reach their ultimate end-of-life stage

Advancing the Frontier of Extended Producer Responsibility: The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in non-OECD countries

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become a salient issue in non-OECD countries. With a growing awareness about serious damages to the environment and human health from a lack of safe treatment and recycling of WEEE, there has been a search for policy responses in several of these countries. This research finds that extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy principle that underpins WEEE programmes in many OECD countries, can help solve the WEEE problem in non-OECD countries by putting the onus on the producers to ensure environmentally sound management of their end-of-life products and make improvements in their product systems, including change in product design. Although there are challenges to the implementation of EPR in emerging and developing economies, notably the problem of free riders and the competition for materials from the polluting recycling sector, they are manageable. In addition, opportunities exist that can facilitate the development of EPR-based solutions, such as the relatively small stock of historical WEEE and manufacturers that have the commitment and experiences with the principle. What is needed to realise this potential is for the policy-makers to create a policy framework that allows and encourages product and system innovations from the producers

EPR in a non-OECD Context: An introduction to research projects on the management of WEEE

There has been an upsurge of interest in the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) among policy makers and scholars in non-OECD countries. The principle has been applied and its impacts studied rather extensively in various OECD countries. However, similar experiences are largely lacking in non-OECD countries. This paper presents some ongoing research and preliminary findings on the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The research aims to explore both potentials and limitations of EPR under non-OECD conditions. Hitherto, there have been four projects in three countries: India, Thailand, and Argentina. The first project in India in 2007 investigated the specificity of this non-OECD context and the explanatory boundary of the principle. The second phase of the research studies a WEEE policy development in the three countries. At the time of writing, they appear to follow different courses of action. The India Government issued a guideline suggesting an incorporation of WEEE under the existing Hazardous Waste Rules. The Thai Government shows particular interest in economic instruments, such as product fees and deposit-refund system, and has been working on a draft law that would govern the use of these instruments for the management of some WEEE and other used products. In Argentina, a senator proposed a dedicated WEEE framework law based on EPR. Our analysis identifies collection of post-consumer WEEE as a major practical bottleneck particularly when there is a strong presence of the so-called informal sector. EPR can be a driving force for improvements by mobilising resources from producers and channelling them to end-of-life management. In addition, in a long run, it can lead to design changes in products and product systems. However, market anomalies in a non-OECD context such as sizeable black/grey markets for several product groups and/or illegal import of used products can put identifiable legal producers at a disadvantageous position and retard feedback mechanisms in an EPR programme. Thus, the applicability of policy alternatives should be assessed against the conditions of particular contexts. We also discuss the importance of problem definition in policy processes

A Hybrid Law Model for the Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: A Case of the New Draft Law in Thailand

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been high on the environmental policy agenda of many countries due to its rapidly increasing volume and concerns over its toxicity and the critical metals it holds. To date, 59 countries have passed laws for WEEE management (excluding State level legislation in the USA and Canada). Most of these laws are based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) but their treatment of allocation of responsibility and system operation differ considerably. This study reviews the implementation models of EPR which are classified into two broad groups: producer compliance schemes and governmental funds. The advantages and disadvantages of each model are analyzed and a synthesis proposed for Thailand in the form of a step-wise hybrid model, considering local conditions. A new draft law, the Act on the Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Other End-of-Life Products, differs from earlier drafts solely based on the governmental-fund model. Under the proposed system, producers of designated products would have an opportunity to develop their compliance plans individually or collectively. This would allow them to channel their experiences of working with EPR in other countries to the implementation of Thai WEEE management schemes. The compliance plans have to outline how they intend to support the free take-back obligations stipulated in the draft law. Collection targets can be added to improve system performance in the later years. Unlike a typical producer-led system, the government retains the power to levy product fees into the National Environmental Fund. This ensures the leverage in the case that the producer’s plans fail to function in a developing country context. Revenues would then be earmarked to support investments and campaigns to achieve the objectives of this law

The Challenge of Promoting Greater Use of Economic Instruments in Thailand: Lessons Learned from the Draft Act on Economic Instruments for Environmental Management

Current policies and plans geared toward green growth/green economy emphasize the greater use of economic instruments. This paper reviews the past and current application of economic instruments (EIs) in environmental management in Thailand. Insights gained from documentary research indicate that EIs such as product taxes through collection of excise taxes have been relatively effective, whilst user charges for solid waste and waste water treatment have been found to be unsuccessful in Thailand. Lessons learned from the draft Act on Economic Instruments for Environmental Management indicate several institutional constraints towards the extensive application of EIs. This paper provides some suggestions to overcome these challenges including institutional reforms, an appropriate mix of policy instruments, and proactive roles of academia in raising environmental awareness and knowledge of the relevant authorities and the general public which could increase political support for environmental policies and the use of EIs in particular

Examining Co-management of National Parks through the Lens of Common-pool Resource Design Principles: A Comparative Case Study of Liwonde and Majete in Malawi

Co-management which was founded on common-pool resource design principles has been popularized in solving sustainability challenges of national parks. Co-management was imposed on all national parks in Malawi under the 2000 Wildlife Policy. However, such a top-down approach might neglect the local contexts that influenced policy implementation. The objective of this study was to examine the implementation of co-management and determine the extent of conformity to Ostrom’s eight design principles. The Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework was engaged through a qualitative case study of Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve. Based on co-management documentations and key informant interviews, the research found varied extents of conformity in the two cases despite a unified national policy framework. Majete was more supportive to the design principles than Liwonde because of resource, user and institutional attributes. The study proposed fine tuning the implementation process towards contextualizing these attributes for long term delivery of perceivable biodiversity and livelihoods benefits

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): Flows, Quantities, and Management—A Global Scenario

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