A new working paper has been recently published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This report presents preliminary results of the evaluation of the potential for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach to help achieve public ambitions for the adoption of circular economy principles in the garments product sector.
The report suggests that EPR improves rates of separate collection of garments. In addition to improving collection and sorting, there is the possibility that EPR can help to reduce environmental impacts generated by the production, use, and disposal of garments. This is primarily by changing the economic incentives for producers, consumers, and waste managers. However, an EPR approach by itself will be insufficient to address all environmental impacts of garments and additional policies are likely needed to complement EPR.