Differentiated producer responsibility systems towards a circular economy

Important results from the project

The purpose and objective of the project is to contribute to further developing producer responsibility systems for a circular economy. The project has delivered recommendations for further development of producer responsibility systems in a research report that summarizes obstacles and opportunities for producer responsibility systems. These recommendations have led to the emergence of two constellations with stakeholders who intend, together with IVL, to seek funding for continued R&D work on developing producer responsibility systems.

Expected long term effects

The project has identified two main development orientations for producer responsibility systems in a circular economy. The first solution is for producer responsibility systems to broaden their operations and jointly develop general principles for design for both recycling and re-use and re-production. The second solution is that producer responsibility systems continue their specialization on material recycling and handle collaboration with other re-processes in market-based collaborations with other new responsibility organizations specialized in these areas.

Approach and implementation

Within an empirical study, the project has tested whether theory from economic science about incentives can be verified in empirical terms. The empirical study could confirm that lock-in effects in existing product design may arise as a result of collective responsibility and economies of scale within producer responsibility systems. The empirical study consisted of in-depth interviews that were followed up with workshops with stakeholders from three product categories. A synthesis work between empirics and theory has been carried out containing the project´s conclusions.