The day-long workshop was divided into three sessions – two sessions which had experts talking about various aspects relating to the centralised EPR portal and one which was an interaction between experts and participants. The workshop was held in a hybrid mode, allowing professionals from other parts of the country to also attend the sessions virtually.

So, what is EPR? The concept of EPR was introduced initially through the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The MoEFCC notified guidelines on EPR for plastic packaging was formalized on February 16, 2022. Under these guidelines, Producers, Importers, Brand Owners (collectively called PIBOs), and Waste Processors are obliged to fulfill their EPR targets as per the targets mentioned in the guidelines. As a way to streamline the processes related to plastic waste handling and EPR, the Central Pollution Control Board launched a centralised EPR portal for Plastic Packaging on March 23, 2022. 

The focus of the two sessions was on elaborating this to the participants and ensuring that the The event started with an inaugural session, which spoke about the importance of Extended Producer Responsibility, what it means briefly and what was going to take place for the next few hours.  The first session had experts give an overview of the guidelines for Extended Producers Responsibility on plastic packaging. The second session focused on the registration process for the centralised EPR portal for plastic packaging.

Here, the centralised EPR portal was explained in-depth and then later the EPR registration took place for PIBOs (producers, importers and brand owners) and PWPs (plastic waste processors). Once the registration was complete, its implementation was explained as well. The session was closed with an interactive session which gave an opportunity for the participants to get more details on the centralised EPR and its implementation.