WCEF2023 Side Event:
EU EPR Fees for EEE and Vehicle Exports to Africa

The event looked at the international flow of extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees covering the used electronics and used cars shipped from the EU to Africa and shared the results of the "Study on items shipped for reuse and Extended Producer Responsibility fees: A case for extending EU EPR fees to cover end-of-life activities of products shipped outside the EU", which the Circular Innovation Lab conducted for the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).

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EPR fees can help African economies tackle the huge challenges inherent in importing millions of tonnes of second hand products. Right now, though, only 17 out of 54 African countries have EPR policies in place, many of which do not cover imported products. And most African economies have limited options for recycling or repairing these goods or their constituent parts as they approach the end of their useful lives. That translates into staggering quantities of 'waste' materials going to informal landfill or incineration.

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This event looked at the possible solutions that were researched in the frame of the study and provoked an open discussion on the best way forward.

Organisers