Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Packaging Waste Regulation

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy principle under which the producer or importer that places a product on the market is also held responsible (partially or fully) for the costs of collecting, recycling and disposing of that product at the end of its life. The aim is to encourage more recyclable designs by bringing the party that designs and markets the product into the process, rather than leaving the cost of recycling solely to municipalities/the public.

In Türkiye, EPR-like obligations for packaging waste are implemented through the Environment Law and the associated Packaging Waste Regulation, together with the GEKAP (Recovery Participation Share) mechanism. Companies that place packaging on the market (producers/importers) are required to meet designated recovery targets and/or pay the associated participation fee (see the 'GEKAP' article).

In the European Union, EPR systems are generally more established and include product-specific, differentiated recycled-content-rate targets (see the 'Recycling Targets' article). Regulations in Türkiye are expanding in this direction over time as part of the process of alignment with the EU acquis — but since scope, rates and the effective timeline can change, the current status should be followed through official sources (the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change).

EPR and GEKAP obligations mainly concern companies that place packaging on the market (that manufacture and sell the final product), not the raw material supplier (see the 'Does GEKAP Appear on Your Raw Material Invoice?' article). Still, we believe it is valuable for our customers to follow this legislation, both for compliance and for possible recycled-content requirements.