​Whilst Canada is renowned for its Rocky Mountains, poutine, and grizzly bears, it has also gained international recognition for its commitment to product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR). Every two years, people gather at the Canadian Stewardship Conference to explore the latest in stewardship and EPR practices in Canada.This year, ...

​At the end of 2023, the draft notice regarding the creation of a federal plastics registry was published in the Canada gazette for consultation. The Canadian government have stated that currently 4.4 million tonnes of plastic are thrown away annually, with only 9% currently recycled. The aim of the federal plastics registry would to be to allow the gover...

​So it might not be very wise to make your packaging out of actual gold… However, if you are looking to lower Extended Producer Responsibility costs and help reduce the amount of plastic we consume, then it could be worth adopting the 'Golden Design Rules' for your packaging.The Golden Design Rules were developed by the Consumer Goods Forum's 'Plastic Was...

​If you are reading this blog, you probably recognise the chasing arrows symbol from packaging that you interact with on a daily basis. However, you might not know what it means, or the history behind it. The symbol has actually become problematic for recycling, which is why we have started to see some governments legislating on the use of the symbol. The...

Canada has always been a pioneer in the establishment of the EPR model. As early as 2009, the Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility was approved and adopted into the Canadian Waste Management Strategy. Provincial and territorial governments have been taking active progress in the EPR/Stewardship implementation since the national pla...

​Across the globe we are starting to see more movement on mandatory requirements being established for post-consumer recycled content (PCR) to be included in packaging. With the likes of Sweden and a handful of the US states already having mandatory requirements in place, will it be long until we see more countries implement these requirements? With the...

Under a regulation from the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act of 2016, which was recently approved, producers of packaging and printed paper in Ontario will be required to assume full financial and operational responsibility for collecting, managing and financing designated materials, which up until now only required producers to contribute 50% f...

This article was updated on 26th August 2021.This blog is part of a wider series from Lorax EPI, taking a deep-dive into the current and future landscapes for packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations on a global scale.When it comes to packaging EPR in North America, legislation tends to be regionally focused rather than nationally capt...

​Earlier this year, Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) Program announced a ‘fee holiday' until the wind up of the program, on June 30th, 2020, due to a surplus of funds collected. It has just been announced that the Ministry of Environment, Parks and Recreation issued an amendment to the wind up date, which means the program will now end on 31st Decembe...

In Ontario the e-waste stewardship program is being wound-up and is set to cease by 30th June, 2020. This is due to the transition of the current program to a circular economy regime. During the running of the e-waste program, Ontario Electronic Stewardship collects and remits HTS on the fees charged to the stewards. Due to charging eco-fees to consumers...

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment is currently holding consultations with stakeholders in the electronics / electrical equipment and batteries sector regarding the approaching circular economy regulation for EEE and batteries (and their packaging). The consultation ends on 6th February and will focus on the key decisions affecting industry as part o...

The OECD published a report in June 2018, detailing the impact of online sales of electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) in Europe, the United States and Canada. Online sales of EEE are now a major and growing part of retail in most OECD countries. A very significant proportion of these sales involve cross-border trade, and free-riding related to this ...

On 12th July, Recycle BC published their revised plan as the second phase of their steward consultation of the program. The program is the only residential packaging and paper product (PPP) program in Canada that is entirely financed and operated by producers. In 2017, 175,000 tonnes of the programs members' material were recovered, achieving a recovery r...

Following a consultation with Yukoners and information from established systems in other Canadian jurisdictions, the Government has announced it will make amendments to the Designated Materials Regulation to increase recycling and waste diversion. The amended regulation and any associated obligations for producers will come into full effect on October 1st...

Our new website is launching today…May the 4th….which means our techy folk at Lorax Compliance thought it deserved a Star Wars themed unveiling. And what is more Star Wars than a lightsaber? Even humble Jedi should be aware of their environmental implications and as a product with a unique supply chain, lightsaber manufactures are often unsure of their ex...

On 12 April 2018, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change issued direction to Stewardship Ontario to wind up the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) Program by December 31st, 2020. Materials collected under the MHSW program will be managed according to an individual producer responsibility framework under the Resource Recovery and Circu...

The Canada Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA) is a packaging scheme which obligates producers, or stewards, in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. These are legal obligations under the provincial packaging and printed paper (PPP) materials recycling regulations​. Stewards can be retailers, restaurants, importers, manufacturers, governm...

​Éco Entreprises Quebec has released a statement to say that they are currently considering adding containers, packaging and printed matter ​​sold as short-lived products and those produced through the B2B trade to the designated materials classes. This change will contribute to their ongoing efforts to stabilise the materials rates. Background EEQ is a n...

In June 2016 Ontario took a major step towards reforming waste management practices and policy. The Waste Free Ontario Bill outlines the framework for the transition to a new system. The system aims to divert more waste from landfills, create jobs and encourage innovation. The Act enshrines in law the obligation for decision makers to implement an expansi...

The EU's focus on resource preservation and reuse has put manufacturers under increasing pressure over the past two decades to meet strict legislative requirements on environmental reporting. However, the compliance process can be a tricky path to navigate – especially when reporting requirements differ in each country.Manufacturers across Europe have bee...