Whilst the beginning of 2022 brought many new producer obligations, packaging requirements and legislative discussions, the end of 2021 also marked the end of a legacy, as Lorax EPI wished our US Managing Director, Victor Bell, a happy retirement after more than 30 years of service in the environmental industry.Victor Bell is a Lifetime Certified Packagin...

Lorax EPI would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! With the new year comes new obligations. This blog explores some of the global environmental packaging legislation that came into effect on 1 January 2022.Labelling: France's mandatory labelling system has been updated to obligate use of the Triman logo on all packaging. Sorting instructions must be ...

​Extended producer responsibility (EPR) in Russia is governed by two main bodies: the Russian government and the Eurasian Economic Union, or EAEU. Member States of the EAEU include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, and regulations made by this body affect all affiliated countries. The main EPR system in Russia is set by the Russian gove...

​The Middle East and Africa (MEA) have historically been smaller producers of waste. However, this is all beginning to change, as many areas within the region are beginning to rapidly urbanize and grow. In some of the higher income Middle Eastern countries, waste production per capita can be up to 2kg per day. In Sub-Saharan Africa, annual waste generatio...

Due to changes in French law, there are now even stricter regulations regarding the labels on packaging in France. As a result, the main producer responsibility organisation, CITEO, has published labelling guidelines for their members, showing the mandatory labels to be used.France is introducing new sorting labels, and part of this change expands the use...

​On the 8th of October 2021, Kenya became the 12th nation to join the Ellen Macarthur Foundation's Plastic Pact network by launching their own Plastic Pact. Led by Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K), and receiving support from 26 organisations, Kenya's Plastic Pact (KPP) is an attempt to move Kenya towards a circular economy for plastic, reduce ...

With so much global focus on transitioning to a circular economy, the packaging industry continues to explore sustainable alternatives to typical virgin plastic resins. ​'Bio-plastics' and 'degradable plastics' have become a hot topic in packaging design lately. However, do you understand these concepts, and are you marking your packaging correctly?Bio-ba...

​In November 2020, South Africa passed new regulations to provide framework for implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations. According to the law, packaging producers must become financially responsible for the take-back of the packaging they place on the market.The regulations were then amended in January 2021 to extend the deadlines ...

​According to a draft bill that is expected to pass soon, Sweden will be introducing extended producer responsibility legislation for textiles from 1 January 2022. The EU Waste Framework Directive requires all Member States to set up separate waste collection for textiles by 2025. This is corroborated in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, and Lorax EPI ...

​Countries around the world are considering the best way to fund waste management. It is becoming increasingly common for governments to believe that producers should finance the significant majority of the costs of waste management - but should this be through a plastics tax or extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees - and what's the difference?Some...

​Many companies are aware of the requirement to report their packaging waste to a compliance/stewardship scheme and pay for the costs incurred. But increasing numbers of countries also require producers to register with a national authority - and potentially report data or undergo period audits.​​In Europe, this requirement stems from the EU's Packaging ...

More than 450 organisations, representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced around the world, are now signed up for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, voluntarily agreeing to increase the circularity for plastic waste and eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has a...

​​This blog is part of a wider series from Lorax EPI, taking a deep dive into the current and future landscapes for packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations on a global scale.This blog focuses on Europe - where the concept of EPR first really took hold in the 1990s. The majority of European countries (whether or not members of the EU)...

​This blog is part of a wider series from Lorax EPI, taking a deep dive into the current and future landscapes for packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations on a global scale.Currently, EPR legislation in Latin America is in its early stages. Some countries have passed EPR framework, allowing for more formal regulations to be introduced...

Under a regulation from the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act of 2016, which was recently approved, producers of packaging and printed paper in Ontario will be required to assume full financial and operational responsibility for collecting, managing and financing designated materials, which up until now only required producers to contribute 50% f...

This blog is part of a wider series from Lorax EPI, taking a deep dive into the current and future landscapes for packaging extended producer responsibility​ (EPR) regulations on a global scale.Due to the uneven social and economic development in the Asia Pacific region (APAC), the EPR legislation progress in APAC presents a large variety. This post will ...