Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle. It refers to the responsibility for the sound management of the disposal of products by producers once those products are designated as no longer useful by consumers. 

An EPR policy is characterized by:

1. The shifting of responsibility (physically and/or economically; fully or partially) upstream toward the producer and away from municipalities
2. The provision of incentives to producers to take into account environmental considerations when designing their products.

While other policy instruments tend to target a single point in the chain, EPR seeks to integrate signals related to the environmental characteristics of products and production processes throughout the product chain.

This rule is applicable under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016; Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022; E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2021 and other hazardous waste management rules as well.

EPR is done through reuse, buyback, or recycling. The producer also has the option of delegating this responsibility to a third-party which can be paid by the producer for used-product management. This shifts the responsibility for waste management from the government to private industries, making it easy for producers or sellers to internalize waste management and ensure safe handling of their products.