Industry groups urge Australian ministers to set national EPR pathway
A cross-sector open letter coordinated by One Planet Consulting and backed by Boomerang Alliance, Australian Industry Group and others has asked federal and state ministers to use the Environment Ministers Meeting on 18 September 2026 to confirm principles and a national pathway for regulated extended producer responsibility schemes. It sets out eight actions, including mandatory national EPR for priority products under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, the National EPA as regulator, and schemes potentially beginning from mid-2027. The scope covers packaging, plastics, batteries, mattresses, tyres, flooring, clothing and solar photovoltaic products, and the letter remains open for further signatures.
Why this mattersA mandatory national EPR framework would move packaging end-of-life costs onto producers and importers and replace the present patchwork of voluntary and state arrangements.
- The letter asks ministers to reflect eight actions in the communique of the Environment Ministers Meeting on 18 September 2026
- It calls on the federal government to use the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 to establish mandatory national EPR schemes for priority products
- It identifies the National EPA as the appropriate regulator for EPR schemes, producer responsibility organisations and obligated producers
- It says schemes could begin from mid-2027, with impact statements and tenders initiated within the next three to six months
- Signatories include One Planet Consulting, Boomerang Alliance, Australian Industry Group, Charitable Reuse Australia, GECA and the Municipal Association of Victoria
- The scope spans packaging, plastics, batteries, mattresses, tyres, flooring, clothing and solar photovoltaic products, with more than 20 international EPR systems cited as precedent