The notion of extended producer responsibility in the law regulating empty phytosanitary containers management in Argentina: analysis of its implementation and suggestions for legislative projects involving other containers or materials

Abstract

This work analyzes the implementation of Law No. 27279/16, that incorporates extended producer responsibility (EPR) into Argentine legislation and regulates the management of empty phytosanitary containers. We are interested in generating contributions to the development of other REP regulations for different conteniers and materials. A qualitative analysis is used, based on interviews with key actors and consultation of secondary sources. It is concluded that in the design of an REP law, the specificities of the products and materials must be considered and that enabling private management of waste (formerly packaging) without paying for adequate evaluation and state monitoring, causes significant failures in its implementation. Furthermore, the lack of incentives to modify the behavior of actors involved in the reverse logistics of packaging leads them to prefer to maintain the status quo, while shared responsibilities weaken the effectiveness of the law.