Advancing Circular Economy through Extended Producer Responsibility in India

<p><span>As nations transition to a circular economy, their association with waste must be rectified. The obligation for waste collection, segregation, and disposal has traditionally been regarded as the duty of municipalities and public authorities. In a linear economy, the accountability of producers and manufacturers was confined to the duration of the product's utilisation. A circular economy mandates circularity in product design and disposal. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) underscores the significant role of producers in the ecologically responsible management of waste from their products. It compels them to develop their products with eco-efficiency in mind. An EPR policy can significantly alter how waste is managed. As India prepares to transition into a circular economy, it becomes crucial to analyse the EPR rules. The study performs a documentary examination of all statutory regulations in India that embody the notion of EPR. The research paper aims to examine the implementation of mandatory EPR within the Indian legal framework to date, to pinpoint the principal sectors where mandatory EPR has been established in India, and to juxtapose the EPR framework in India with the guidance manual on EPR from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The research indicated that EPR was first implemented in India in 2011 for plastics and electronic trash. India has an EPR framework for eight specific waste categories: plastic packaging, electronic trash, waste tires, battery waste, spent oil, end-of-life vehicles, building and demolition debris, and non-ferrous metals. When matched with the checklist for EPR policy contained in the OECD guidance manual, it was found that EPR rules presently in force in India substantially comply with the same. The paper thus concludes with the thought that the effectiveness of the EPR framework would greatly depend on the proper implementation of these rules.&nbsp;</span></p>