New Report Explores the Future of Producer Responsibility in Australia

Australia's transition to a more circular economy depends on more than improving recycling rates. It also requires systems that encourage better product design, greater accountability across supply chains, and shared responsibility for the environmental impacts of products throughout their lifecycle. 

A newly released report by Helen Millicer, The Future of Producer Responsibility in Australia: International Solutions That Will Fix a Broken System, contributes to this important national conversation by examining how Australia's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework compares with international best practice and identifying opportunities to strengthen the country's approach.  

Why producer responsibility matters

EPR is a policy approach that places greater responsibility on producers for managing the environmental impacts of their products beyond the point of sale. Depending on the product category, this can include collection, reuse, repair, recycling and end-of-life management. 

Well-designed EPR systems aim to create incentives for producers to improve product design, reduce waste, increase resource recovery and invest in the infrastructure needed to support a more circular economy. 

The report argues that while Australia has made progress through a mix of voluntary, co-regulatory and government-led stewardship schemes, the current system remains fragmented, creating inconsistency across jurisdictions and industries.  

Learning from international experience

Drawing on case studies from 20 countries, the report compares Australia's current approach with established EPR systems operating in regions including Europe and North America. It examines producer responsibility arrangements across a range of everyday products, including packaging, batteries, tyres, mattresses, electronics, clothing and textiles, flooring and used oil.  

Among its findings, the report highlights how coordinated national frameworks can help provide greater certainty for industry, encourage investment in collection and recycling infrastructure, reduce free-riding and create stronger incentives for circular product design. 

The report also outlines a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening Australia's national EPR framework, including improved regulatory coordination, consistent national oversight, greater transparency and the use of eco-modulated fees that reward products designed with circularity in mind.  

Why this matters

Producer responsibility is about much more than managing waste. 

When producers are encouraged to consider a product's entire lifecycle—from raw material sourcing and manufacturing through to use, repair, reuse and end-of-life recovery—they are better positioned to reduce environmental impacts while creating products that deliver long-term value. 

This lifecycle perspective aligns closely with the principles of the circular economy, where keeping materials in use for longer, reducing waste and designing for durability become central to how products are developed and managed. 

As governments, businesses and consumers increasingly seek practical ways to accelerate circularity, conversations around product stewardship and producer responsibility are becoming increasingly important. 

A lifecycle approach

At GECA, lifecycle thinking has always been at the heart of our work. 

Our independently certified ecolabel assesses products and services against rigorous environmental, human health, social and quality criteria across their entire lifecycle. By considering impacts from raw material extraction through to manufacturing, use and end-of-life, lifecycle certification helps organisations identify opportunities to reduce impacts while providing purchasers with confidence that sustainability claims have been independently verified. 

While lifecycle certification and Extended Producer Responsibility serve different purposes, they share a common objective: encouraging better outcomes across the full lifecycle of products rather than focusing on a single environmental attribute. 

This broader perspective supports more informed procurement decisions, rewards continuous improvement and helps build markets for products that have been designed with sustainability in mind. 

Continuing the conversation

As Australia continues to explore opportunities to strengthen its product stewardship and circular economy frameworks, reports such as this provide valuable insights into how international experience may help inform future policy discussions. 

GECA welcomes research that contributes to informed, evidence-based conversations about lifecycle sustainability, responsible product design and product stewardship. 

To learn more about Helen Millicer's report, The Future of Producer Responsibility in Australia: International Solutions That Will Fix a Broken System, and access the executive summary and supporting resources, visit her resource page.