The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE has announced the initiation of a framework for implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the country.
This comes as part of the ministry's ambitious efforts to address various environmental issues, integrated waste management, and to promote the circular economy and sustainable economic development in the country.
The initiative aims to achieve a set of goals, the most prominent of which are reducing waste and increasing recycling rates, in addition to promoting the concept of a circular economy in local markets and relying on a methodology for sustainably reusing resources.
This transformation will drive companies and factories to adopt innovative ideas and tools in the manufacturing sector, which will support partnerships between the public and private sectors to provide innovative waste management solutions.
Engineer Aliya Abdul Rahim Al-Hirmoudi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, stated that extended producer responsibility is one of the most important initiatives included in the National Agenda for Integrated Waste Management 2023-2026.
It is a significant step towards achieving sustainable development goals, and it is a concept that engages producers in the responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products. This includes waste management after consumption through processes that involve recovery programs, waste treatment, and final disposal.
She also said that the extended producer responsibility framework aims to get the private sector more involved in the waste management system and the best use of products. This helps to raise the rate of waste processing, keep waste out of landfills, and spread the idea of a circular economy and its uses.
Through this initiative, we seek to build a new culture among sector companies and community members by sharing the joint responsibility to protect our natural resources.
The framework is based on Article "5" of Federal Law No. 12 of 2018 concerning integrated waste management, which states that "both the waste producer and the supplier are responsible for accepting returned products and waste remaining after use and the financial costs resulting from that, in accordance with the executive regulations of this law."
The responsibilities of the producer and supplier were also defined in Cabinet Decision No. 39 of 2021 regarding the executive regulations of Federal Law No. 12 of 2018 on Integrated Waste Management.
The Extended Producer Responsibility framework targets three types of products, including packaging products, electrical and electronic devices, and batteries.
With the aim of designing and implementing an effective extended producer responsibility system in the country, the ministry has strengthened its cooperation with several partners from both the public and private sectors, including the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, environmental authorities, producers, retailers, and waste management service officials.
The ministry also conducted numerous studies and analyses and organized workshops to gather information from its partners, establishing a strong foundation for this initiative by forming a robust framework that considers all stakeholders' perspectives and needs.
The ministry plans to launch a pilot project based on the principles of extended producer responsibility in the upcoming period. This pilot project will serve as a practical test of the framework and provide a clear vision for its future implementation.
As part of this project, the community will be encouraged to use the system by being shown safe ways to get rid of the waste listed above. This will make sure that they can contribute to the UAE's integrated waste management and environmental protection.
