Who and what is EPR Canada and what are the organization’s goals?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Canada was formed in the fall of 2011 as a not-for-profit association by a group of like-minded individuals who have been involved with producer responsibility programs across Canada since the inception of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Taken together, the founders of EPR Canada have worked on this issue for a combined period of over 100 years. The goal of the association is to help ensure the continued growth and improvement of EPR policies, programs and practices across Canada. The individuals involved represent themselves in this project – i.e., they do not represent the opinions/positions of the organizations with which they may be working.
Why is EPR Canada sponsoring a "Report Card" on EPR policies, programs and initiatives at the governmental level?
EPR Canada is intended to be a highly focused, not-for-profit organization. The Report Card is EPR Canada’s first - and so far only – project. The Report Card is fashioned after the successful Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance Report Card on Canadian governments’ energy efficiency goals and accomplishments over the past decade. The EPR Report Card is focused on governmental EPR policies and programs because government legislation and actions play a key role in stimulating private sector and consumer activity in EPR program development, performance and monitoring.
Which government scored the highest in the 2011 EPR Canada Report Card?
In EPR Canada’s 2011 EPR Report Card, British Columbia ranked above the other governments. Its policies and programs designed to have producers pay 100% of the cost of managing many of their products and packaging after the consumer is finished with them are setting the EPR bar high for other governments in Canada.
Who are the main audiences for the Report Card?
It is expected that the Report Card will be of interest to both government officials and elected representatives and to producer representatives, brand owners, producer responsibility organizations and industry and business associations. Through the results of each annual Report Card, governments are able to benchmark their performance against other jurisdictions and also to identify best practices that could assist them in advancing EPR in their own jurisdictions. Producers and non-governmental organizations are provided with a concise national overview of EPR implementation, practice and plans and the Report Card is expected to encourage further harmonization of programs across the country in the interests of program effectiveness and efficiency.
Who is funding this initiative and what is the budget?
In year one, the project received support in the amount of $5,000 from Ontario Waste Management Association to help defray expenses. The founding partners voluntarily contributed the balance of the budget, totalling approximately $10,000 including hard costs such as printing materials, translation, website, out-of-pocket expenses and telephone.
In year two, funding support has been provided by four sponsors – Clean Farms, Emterra Group, Encorp Pacific and Ontario Waste Management Association – providing a total of $12,000 to help offset hard costs.
Who is on the panel that prepares the annual Report Cards?
The review panel comprises the founding members of EPR Canada. Additional panelists may be added in future years. Panelists will not be paid for their time to review the governments’ EPR submissions and to prepare the summary report/evaluations of the information submitted through the completed questionnaires.
Will the results be public and how will they be published?
The results of each year’s Report Card will be released to the public. EPR Canada will not release individual, detailed government submissions but a summary report, with individual jurisdiction scores, will be prepared and distributed to the media and other interested stakeholders, and posted on the EPR Canada website.
What happens if one or more jurisdictions chose not to participate?
The Report Card is a voluntary initiative – no jurisdiction can be compelled to participate. In the case of the Energy Efficiency Alliance, provincial authorities have found it to be in their interest to conduct an annual, independent “check–up” of their progress against their energy efficiency goals and objectives. Much has also been learned through focused inter-governmental exchanges on issues such as program best practices, performance measurement and carbon footprint reductions. It is anticipated that the EPR Canada initiative will similarly support best practices and can also contribute to the goal of helping to harmonize EPR programs in different parts of Canada.
How do I find out more about this initiative and how do I get involved?
We are interested in the comments and questions of those who want to learn more about EPR Canada and about the EPR Report Card. For more information please contact:
Duncan Bury – Duncan@duncanburyconsulting.ca - 613-729-0499; or
Geoff Love – loveenvironment@rogers.com - 647-248-2500
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