Collecting packaging data through WERCSmart® ensures retailers pay only what they owe, and nothing more, into packaging EPR programs.
Governments have increasingly proposed packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) solutions to tackle the abundance of packaging and printed paper waste in the marketplace. EPR shifts responsibility from taxpayers to producers for the full lifespan of obligated materials to encourage among other things, right-sizing of packaging, and innovative design.
Industry challenge
Today, retailers rely on manual time-consuming processes that generate data at the product category level rather than the individual UPC level. This practice has been shown to overestimate monies owed to EPR programs.
To meet EPR requirements, retailers require a digital solution that collects data at the UPC level to determine their exact financial contribution to packaging EPR programs.
How retailers benefit using WERCSmart
UL’s WERCSmart program has been at the forefront of helping retailers operating in Canada collect packaging and printed paper EPR data from their supply chains:
- Collection of material type and weight by UPC
- Identification of obligated steward
- Collection of supplier attestation for chemical composition
Together, this data enables retailers to determine their exact financial obligations to EPR programs, preventing overpayment, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of their corporate packaging policies and progress towards their public-facing commitments.
