On June 14, 2023, KEPSA participated in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Guidelines Stakeholders Consultation Meeting at a Nairobi Hotel. Kenya is in the process of finalizing the extended producer responsibility regulations that operationalize Section 13 of the Sustainable Waste Management Act of 2022.

In his opening remarks, Mr. David Ongare, Director of Environmental Compliance, said that the authority was shifting enforcement approaches by encouraging the actors to self-regulate. Self-regulation in environmental compliance refers to the voluntary actions taken by individuals, organizations, or industries to go beyond legal requirements and proactively manage their environmental impact. By seeing the value of environmental stewardship and thus adopting practices that exceed legal requirements. The EPR regulations are thus a proactive approach to protecting the environment, enhancing reputation, and contributing to a sustainable future.

Dr. Ayub Macharia, Director at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, highlighted the most recent amendments to the regulations, which indicate that all producers who introduce products in the Kenya market bear extended producer obligations to the postconsumer stage and end of life management. All producers that introduce products to the Kenyan market thus bear this obligation, which can be implemented individually or collectively through a producer responsibility organization.

The extended producer responsibility (EPR) approach is aimed at reducing the amount of waste deposited to the environment by increasing the recovery of materials and ensuring a circular economy of materials recovered to be reused back in the production process. The extended producer responsibility guidelines are aimed at providing further guidance to the producers, waste service providers, members of the producer responsibility organizations, the national environment management authority, regulators, and the actors for the implementation of EPR.

This is the second consultation workshop aimed at furthering the stakeholder understanding of the EPR regulations, clarifying their roles and responsibilities, and engaging in collaborative efforts towards their effective implementation.

KEPSA was represented in the meeting by Susan Maingi, the Vice Chair of the Trade and Industry Sector Board, members of the Environment, Water, and Natural Resources Sector Board, and Faith Ngige, a technical working committee member in the development of the EPR regulations.