EURATEX has joined a broad coalition of European industry organisations calling on the upcoming Circular Economy Act to establish a stronger and more harmonised EU framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
In a joint position paper, the signatories underline that the Circular Economy Act should help Europe move from fragmented national waste management systems towards a functioning Single Market for secondary raw materials.
Extended Producer Responsibility already plays a central role in financing the collection, sorting and recycling of waste across Europe. However, different national approaches and administrative requirements continue to create complexity for companies operating across borders and can limit the development of circular value chains.
A more harmonised European approach
The coalition therefore calls for a horizontal EU EPR Regulation, establishing a common baseline for EU-mandated EPR schemes while allowing sector-specific requirements where needed.
Such an approach would help reduce regulatory fragmentation, provide greater legal certainty and support the scaling-up of circular business models and cross-border markets for secondary raw materials.
The paper also stresses that EPR systems should remain producer-led. Producers should retain responsibility for decision-making alongside their obligation to finance end-of-life management, while public authorities provide appropriate oversight. Producer contributions should remain dedicated to the collection, sorting and recycling systems for which they were raised.
Transparency, simpler rules and investment in recycling
Greater transparency across the entire waste management chain is another key priority. Producer Responsibility Organisations, public authorities, municipalities and waste operators receiving EPR funding should provide comparable information on how funds are collected, allocated and used.
The signatories also call for EPR contributions to be ring-fenced for the relevant product categories and waste streams, helping ensure that resources support the infrastructure and operations required to achieve Europe’s recycling and circularity objectives.
At the same time, the future Circular Economy Act should reduce unnecessary administrative complexity. Harmonised registration requirements, the use of already verified information and simpler compliance procedures would be particularly important for SMEs and businesses active in several Member States.
Finally, better separate collection remains essential. Without reliable collection systems, Europe cannot generate the stable supply of high-quality secondary raw materials needed to develop a competitive recycling market.
For EURATEX, a well-designed Circular Economy Act can help create the scale, transparency and investment certainty required for circular business models to develop across Europe, while avoiding another layer of fragmented national requirements.
Read the full joint position paper: A Circular Economy Act delivering a strong EU market for secondary raw materials.