Extended Producer Responsibility is a cornerstone of circular economy policy. It requires producers to fund the collection, sorting, and recycling of the materials they create, shifting the cost and responsibility for waste management away from consumers and municipalities. 

Across the European Union, well-designed EPR systems have driven some of the world’s highest recycling outcomes. Under the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, producers must ensure that 90% of plastic bottles are separately collected for recycling by 2029. These results are achieved through coordinated collection and recycling on behalf of producers, and through eco-modulated fees that reward recyclable product design and higher recycled content. 

As You Sow brings these proven principles to investor and corporate engagement in the U.S., encouraging for transparent, accountable systems that ensure producers contribute proportionally to the circular economy.  

To date, most EPR programs have focused on consumer goods companies such as Coca-Cola and Walmart, while overlooking the role of plastic resin manufacturers like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Phillips 66. As You Sow advocates for an equitable system in which petrochemical producers also share the costs of collecting and recycling the massive volume of plastics they produce.