Quebec Announces Draft EPR Regulations

Connector October 2021

The province of Quebec has announced draft Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations for a host of products. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is an environmental / economic policy approach in which producers of products and packaging bear responsibility for ensuring those products and packages are properly managed at the end of their life-cycle (OWMA, 2013).

Notable highlights from the proposed regulation:

  1. Who’s in charge – The EPR organization(s) are required to report to and pay administrative fees to Recyc Québec, an arm’s length government agency;
  2. Targets – Recovery targets for products are established that include administrative penalties if the targets are not achieved by certain dates;
  3. Verification – Required to verify recovery through third-party auditors;
  4. Recycled content – The regulation establishes processes to incent recycled content in designated products;
  5. Collection points – The regulation requires minimum accessibility for farmers to drop off materials.

You can find more detailed information on the draft EPR regulations, HERE (French only).

The province of Quebec has announced draft Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations for a host of products. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is an environmental / economic policy approach in which producers of products and packaging bear responsibility for ensuring those products and packages are properly managed at the end of their life-cycle (OWMA, 2013).

Notable highlights from the proposed regulation:

  1. Who’s in charge – The EPR organization(s) are required to report to and pay administrative fees to Recyc Québec, an arm’s length government agency;
  2. Targets – Recovery targets for products are established that include administrative penalties if the targets are not achieved by certain dates;
  3. Verification – Required to verify recovery through third-party auditors;
  4. Recycled content – The regulation establishes processes to incent recycled content in designated products;
  5. Collection points – The regulation requires minimum accessibility for farmers to drop off materials.

You can find more detailed information on the draft EPR regulations, HERE (French only).

By setting minimum recovery and recycling requirement for companies, the government of Quebec will improve the end-of-life management of the products involved. EPR will promote the development of businesses and local markets all while promoting a circular economy within Quebec.