RBC: Putin supported the transfer of responsibility for the disposal of packaging to its manufacturers

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved proposals to change the extended liability mechanism for producers and importers of goods and packaging (ERP), informs RBC referring to his resolution in a letter sent by Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko. The authenticity of the document was confirmed by a source in the government.

The press service of the government forwarded the questions to Abramchenko’s office, but the Deputy Prime Minister’s representative declined to comment on the letter. She noted that the government continues to work on the instructions of the President on the introduction of new principles of the ROP.

In the letter, Abramchenko asks to support the transfer of responsibility for the disposal of packaging to its manufacturers and exclude the possibility of compliance with waste disposal standards by specially created associations. Responsibility is proposed to be established from January 1, 2025.

EPR reform has been discussed since 2019. The current packaging recycling rates are 10-45%. Now the responsibility for disposal lies with the producers of final goods, but in May it became known that a bill was being developed that would oblige manufacturers to recycle containers. According to the Association of Manufacturers of Glass Containers, innovations will increase the cost of packaging production by 20-30%, depending on its type.

In early August, Denis Butsaev, Director General of REO, asked Vladimir Putin to support the bill. He also confirmed to RBC that the president approved the ROP reform. According to Butsaev, the current disposal option “has long shown its inefficiency.” The reform will help “get rid of the practice of fake certificates and supposedly recycling, which occurs only according to documents, but in reality the waste is thrown into a landfill.”

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