Circularity in Practice: Advancing Producer Responsibility and Collaboration

I recently had the opportunity to attend Circularity in Denver, Colorado in April/May. This event was special to me this year as I’ve called Colorado home for over four years. I love living in Colorado to enjoy the stunning mountains, deep canyons, and energetic rivers, but Colorado is also a leader in the environmental space, as an early adopter of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

I was inspired by the energy Circularity brought to Colorado and I'm taking these key themes from the week into my role at WWF as a specialist on corporate policy advocacy.

EPR is top of mind across many sectors.

With seven states passing EPR (shoutout to Maryland and Washington!), momentum continues to build at the state level. Because implementation is imminent in several states, including Colorado, Oregon, and California, discussions have shifted from whether is EPR good policy to how the regulations will work in practice. Reuse is also a hot topic, with experts from Upstream, Closed Loop Partners and more providing guidance around scalable reuse and how it ties into EPR. In addition to the existing legislation and energy at the state level, folks are looking to what’s next. As brands manage different regulations from state to state, there is also a growing conversation around harmonization across states and eventually leveling up to a federal EPR framework.

Education is critical for changing behavior

Though it is the producer’s responsibility to handle end of life management of products, educating the consumer on their role to play in reduction, reuse, and recycling is critical. I had the opportunity to tour Recycling Row in Boulder, including the Boulder County Recycling Center. What makes this MRF different is their focus on public education. Their interactive exhibits educate on what is recyclable, and the people and technology behind the sorting of each item that enters the facility. Boulder County has high recycling rates, which is tied to their education efforts. Outside of recycling, there is a greater need for consumer education around reduction and reuse.

Nothing big gets done alone

Coalition-building and partnership were all terms that came up over and over. This must start on the inside, by building internal buy-in. I hosted a roundtable on what corporate advocacy looks like when there’s more risk to standing up and standing out. The key theme was collaboration as a risk mitigation strategy. Though it’s not always easy to work together – it takes real work to form trusting partnerships – it’s less risky, and more powerful to stand up as a group. To really make an impact, you also must look outside of your comfort zone and look to uncommon partnerships that can drive impact. This process is not easy, and involves respect, compromise, and a willingness to see other perspectives.