A Beginner's Guide to EPR and Lorax EPI
by Rania Jhumka at 13:50 in Content, Emerging

​Approximately 85% of plastic packaging worldwide ends up in landfill rather than recycling. This is why EPR is so important, to make sure producers make more effort to ensure their packaging ends up in recycling. EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility. It is a policy approach where producers must take responsibility for their products throughout the entire life cycle, from the initial design to the disposal. Different countries have varying EPR requirements including compliance regulations and reporting.

That's where Lorax EPI comes in. Lorax EPI is a company offering tailored advice and solutions to help companies become compliant with global packaging legislations. Whether you are a company new to EPR or are seeking a backup service, Lorax EPI helps you to navigate these complexities in EPR with ease.

Forms of EPR

EPR shifts the cost and responsibility of the product away from consumers and onto the producers. This can incentivize companies to implement more sustainable design strategies for their products and their packaging to meet compliance regulations.

There are many different forms of EPR, encompassing all materials and packaging. These can include:

• Circular economy – many circular economy frameworks are being developed to minimize waste and encourage reuse of materials so we can cut carbon emissions using design strategies, increased recycling and product standardization
• Labelling – more labelling requirements for on-pack messaging towards consumers are being established to reduce confusion upon disposal of products and to better understand product material content
• Mandatory EPR – EPR legislation must be adhered to by all producers wanting to sell their products in a region or country
  
• Post-consumer recycled content (PCR) – there is lots of movement towards integrating larger quantities of post-consumer recycled content into products, instead of using virgin plastics
• Single-use plastics (SUP) – many single-use plastics are getting phased out or banned across the globe
• Deposit return schemes (DRS) – deposit return schemes are being introduced in many countries to encourage recycling and reuse of materials
• And many more!

To become compliant, companies need to know the material composition of their products depending on the packaging activity, the type, class and weights of the various materials. For example, companies must be able to differentiate between the types of plastic, such as PVC, PP and PE. To find out more about the difference between plastic packaging and SUP, look out for an upcoming blog post by Jennifer Brook!

This information is also important for companies who are members of schemes. Compliance schemes provide a framework for manufacturers, distributors and sellers to declare their products and pay for the disposal of their products and packaging. Such schemes exist in most EU countries, such as Fost Plus in Belgium and GreenPak in Malta, and are legally mandated to ensure all waste-management obligations are met. Lorax can help companies with their relevant scheme registrations and meeting reporting deadlines.

All about Lorax EPI

Lorax was founded in 2014 with a goal to help companies manage and reduce their environmental impact through understanding global environmental compliance. Since 2015, they have won multiple awards such as 'Small Business of the Year' in Rugby in 2015 and 'Best Compliance Software Development Company' from TMT News in 2016.

They later merged with EPI, based in the US, in June 2019 and have continued to grow since. In 2022, Lorax EPI certified as a B Corporation, signifying their continuous efforts towards meeting high standards in social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability.

What does Lorax EPI do?

Lorax EPI offers 3 services to help clients become compliant with EPR regulations:

ENVI compliance software

The ENVI compliance software reminds customers about the relevant environmental compliance submissions they'll need to make regarding reporting deadlines. It is a world-leading software covering voluntary and mandatory reports across all forms of EPR such as packaging, WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), battery, textiles and plastic taxation.

Consulting services

Their consulting services offer company-specific advice on how to meet compliance requirements and highlight relevant legislation. They also conduct compliance assessments, data gap analysis, fee modelling, scheme registrations and recyclability analysis.

This tailored consulting service helps clients to understand global EPR legislation and prepare their business to manage the extensive scope of environmental compliance relevant to their products and services.

Subscription services

Finally, Lorax offers a subscription service where clients can gain access to a packaging regulatory matrix and receive monthly trend alerts for EPR in countries they might sell their products in. These provide clients with up-to-date legislative analysis so they can always make informed decisions regarding environmental compliance and upcoming trends.

If you are interested in learning more about the services Lorax EPI can offer your company, please contact us here.

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