Extended Producer Responsibility System Research Articles

Quantitative Study to Assess the Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) System for Packaging: Case Study in Morocco

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an approach to environmental policy that requires producers to assume full responsibility for the costs of managing their products and packaging throughout their useful life. In Morocco, municipalities assume financial and operational responsibility for collecting and eliminating all household and similar waste at considerable expense. In this respect, integrating an EPR system in the Moroccan context, allowing a transfer of responsibility from municipalities to producers is strongly recommended. In this context, the specific research objective is to conduct a quantitative study to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of implementing an EPR system for packaging in the Moroccan context. To accomplish this, the methodology entails estimating the amount of packaging waste generated and the recycled amount based on current recycling ratios. Then, the socioeconomic and environmental impacts are estimated by comparing the business-as-usual scenario (without EPR) and the EPR scenario with improved recycling rates. The implementation of the EPR system allows improving considerably the recycling rates of plastic, cardboard, glass, and metals from 25%, 20%, 14%, and 46% to 50%, 75%, 70%, and 60%, respectively. The estimated amount of household packaging waste (HPW) is about 1,16 million tons/year. The finding results are very encouraging, showing an economic saving of about 482 MDh/year. This saving is mainly related to the avoided cost of landfilling and the loss of revenue resulting from the recyclable material. Therefore, the economic savings exceed 455 Dhs /ton of recyclable HPW, with 2,894 jobs created nationwide. Since the EPR system will simultaneously reduce GHG emissions and prevent ecosystem degradation, it could provide an environmental saving of 196,4 million Dhs. These results underline promising prospects for integrating the EPR system into the transition to more sustainable, responsible, and efficient waste management.

Decision making and benefit analysis of closed-loop remanufacturing supply chain considering government subsidies

Remanufacturing closed-loop supply chain can effectively deal with the deterioration of environmental resources and the limited supply of resources as a part of circular economy. Government subsidies are an important factor to promote its development. In this paper, we consider a two-stage remanufacturing closed-loop supply chain, where the retailer is responsible for recycling, and the manufacturer will innovate in remanufacturing technology based on the extended producer responsibility system. The study constructs a Stackelberg game model with the manufacturer as a leader, and compares the different impacts of the two subsidy strategies on supply chain decisions (i.e., subsidies for investment in remanufacturing technology innovation and subsidies for the cost of remanufactured products). Numerical analyses are conducted to visualize the effects of subsidies on the decision-making of closed-loop supply chain members, environmental benefits, and social welfare. The findings indicate that when the level of subsidy is low, government subsidies for investment in remanufacturing technology innovation can accelerate the upgrading of remanufacturing technology, leading to higher environmental benefits and social welfare compared to subsidising the cost of remanufactured products. The results show that when the level of subsidy is high, government subsidies for remanufactured product costs, while yielding greater environmental benefits and social welfare compared to subsidies for investment in remanufacturing technology innovation, have a lesser impact on the advancement of remanufacturing technology.

Legal provisions for the facilitation of the transition to a circular economy in the Polish legal system

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is a priority objective for European Union (EU) Member States. Specifically, this goal is stated in the 8th Environmental Action Programme (which outlines a programme until 2030), the European Green Deal, European Commission communications, and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive 2018/851. As a member of the EU, Poland is obliged to align its waste management practices with the CE; this work is reflected in legislative changes related to waste, packaging, and the municipal maintenance of cleanliness and order. This article presents the legal status of the transition to a CE in Poland, including the established legal instruments. The Polish legal system has developed measures to protect the environment, life, and human health by preventing and reducing waste and improving the efficiency of raw material use. Waste management is consistent with the waste hierarchy, with a focus on maximising recovery (material and organic recycling, energy recovery), an extended producer responsibility system, and strict requirements for recovery and recycling rates, with a particular focus on plastic packaging. In Poland, the CE Roadmap—which includes a legislative toolkit on sustainable industrial production, sustainable consumption, bioeconomy, new business models, and CE implementation and monitoring – has been developed for the transformation toward a CE. Poland’s priorities in this regard include: (1) innovation, strengthening cooperation between industry and the scientific sector, resulting in the implementation of innovative solutions in the economy; (2) creating a European market for secondary raw materials, where their movement would be easier; (3) ensuring the high quality of secondary raw materials that results from sustainable production and consumption; and (4) developing the service sector.

What Have we Learnt so Far About The Extended Producer Responsibility – Results of Bibliographic Review

Nowadays, the environmental impact of the manufacturing sector, particularly in terms of waste management, is receiving increased attention. In this context, extended producer responsibility (EPR) has become an essential environmental policy instrument for all European Union (EU) Member States. This policy principle has also garnered interest from other countries around the world, which recognize its importance. The EU has acknowledged the effectiveness of this instrument and seeks to enhance the sustainability and waste management practices within its manufacturing sector. The operational principles of EPR are regulated at the EU level collectively, while also allowing for individual definition by each Member State. It's important to note that these principles encompass measures primarily aimed at promoting waste prevention, reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery.The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth insight into the operational principles of the EPR in the EU Member States, its application to different product groups and identify the existing challenges related to assessing the effectiveness of the EPR system via bibliographic review of scientific papers published in “Web of Science” indexed journals.

A comparative analysis of government intervention under the EPR system: Eco-design and authorized remanufacturing

The extended producer responsibility system and government intervention are among the essential requirements for constructing sustainable economies. In a closed-loop supply chain consisting of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and a third-party remanufacturer (TPR), this paper develops four Stackelberg game models for four modes of government intervention under patent licensing: no intervention, tax and subsidy, tax and subsidy plus eco-design tax deduction, and eco-design tax deduction only. The impacts of the different government interventions on the optimal production decision, social welfare, and environment are analyzed and compared. The results indicate that, compared with no government intervention, government tax and subsidy decrease the supply of new products, increase supply of remanufactured products, and raise recycling rates of end-of-life products; on top of tax and subsidy, the government’s eco-design tax deduction can further increase OEM and TPR profits; the environmental impact under different government intervention depends on the ratio of the environmental impacts of remanufactured to new products and the level of eco-design effort. This study provides decision makers (i.e., OEM and TPR) and policy makers (i.e., governments) with new managerial insights on the benefits of eco-design and effective mechanisms to promote it.

The global governance of marine plastic pollution: rethinking the extended producer responsibility system

The harm caused by marine plastic pollution to the wider environment highlights its importance as a governance issue. The Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted a resolution, “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument”, which represents a shift towards globalism in the governance of marine plastic pollution. This resolution focuses on the circular economy of plastics and highlights the role of corporations in contributing to a more socially responsible society, thereby increasing emphasis has been placed on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system that integrates the two factors referred to above. This paper provides a full technical explanation of the EPR system and its implementation in entities such as the European Union, the United States, and China. The challenges faced when integrating the EPR system into international legal instruments for plastic governance were identified, including the different national perspectives, the absence of a supervisor in the public domain, the obscurity of its application, and the lack of supporting measures for the implementation of the system. Therefore, new standards and requirements in the governance of marine plastic pollution and the advantages associated with implementing the full-life-cycle obligations under the EPR system on plastic producers should be fully considered. On this basis, the positioning and implications of the EPR system should be clarified by obligation-oriented regulation and extension-based interpretation. Moreover, the extended and prolonged applicability of the system, including the original sources of marine plastic wastes and considerations of the full-life-cycle of plastics, should be achieved in pursuit of improvements and upgrades in application and complementary policies. If this can be achieved, it is hoped that the goals of protecting human health and controlling plastic pollution can be achieved, contributing to the development of an ocean-based economy and a better world.

Recycling, Material Flow, and Recycled Content Demands of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottles towards a Circular Economy in Korea

The recycling and proper management of PET bottles is needed to avoid plastic pollution, as well as to achieve a plastic circular economy. In this study, we examined the recycling system of PET bottles and their material flows by life cycle, from production to recycling and disposal under different scenarios with reduced consumption for PET bottles. In Korea, PET bottle recycling has been managed by the extended producer responsibility system since 2003. As of 2021, annual usage of PET bottles per capita in Korea was estimated to be approximately 6.5 kg. The recycling rate of PET bottles after collection was determined to be 79% in 2021. However, recycled PET (or r-PET) from mechanical recycling is mostly used in low-grade PET applications such as short fibers, bands, and sheets. More than 112 thousand tons of r-PET chips would be needed to meet the 30% recycled content requirement in PET bottles in 2030 by regulation. Thus, there is an urgent need for high-quality secondary raw materials (i.e., food-grade) by adopting advanced sorting and recycling technologies for PET bottles with recycled content. PET bottle-to-bottle recycling practices can ensure the production of high-quality recycled materials and move Korea toward a plastic circular economy.

Developing an extended producer responsibility system for solid waste management in Jordan using multi-criteria decision-making approach.

To move from a traditional end of pipe approach into a more sustainable solid waste management system, the Jordanian Government has recently passed a set of new regulations The National Solid Waste Management Strategy has put a road map to encourage circular economy practices. One of the considered policy instruments is the adoption of the extended producer responsibility (EPR). The current study aimed to adopt a multi-criteria decision-making method to select the most convenient EPR structure within the Jordanian context. The study used analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP (FAHP) techniques to select the suitable type of producer responsibility organization (PRO) structure. A four-level hierarchy model was constructed with 4 criteria, 10 sub-criteria and 3 PRO alternatives. The analysis revealed that the legal and administrative criteria is the most important one (0.47) followed by environmental criteria (0.22), whereas the least important ones were socio-economic (0.17) and technical criteria (0.13). The most preferable PRO alternative was found to be PRO with profit. There were slight differences between all weight values under AHP and FAHP. Despite the availability of several laws, there is a need to develop the legal and administrative framework to enable the adoption of EPR in Jordan. Research should be the first step in the process of EPR system design. None of the previous studies conducted used the AHP and FAHP in assessing and selecting the EPR systems.

Does Extended Producer Responsibility System Promote Green Technological Innovation in China’s Power Battery Enterprises?

In an effort to accelerate the advancement of green and low-carbon development, China introduced the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system in 2016, mandating producers to assume responsibility for waste recycling. Notably, power battery enterprises emerged as a primary focal point within the EPR system. Consequently, the interplay between this system and the green technological innovation of enterprises has a substantial impact on the sustainable development of power battery companies. To comprehensively explore this relationship, we conducted an empirical investigation utilizing a sample comprising listed power battery enterprises in China from 2010 to 2020. Employing the difference-in-difference (DID) model, this study aims to analyze the implications of the EPR system on green technological innovation within these enterprises. The results indicate that: (1) The EPR system significantly promotes green technological innovation in power battery enterprises, leading to an increase in the quantity of green invention patents and improvement in the quality of green patents. (2) The mechanism test reveals that the EPR system can stimulate green innovation in power battery enterprises by increasing government subsidies and raising executives’ environmental awareness. The future endeavors aimed at promoting green innovation in power battery enterprises should be concentrated on four key aspects: (1) Expanding and optimizing the implementation of the EPR system to encompass a broader spectrum of enterprises. (2) Developing precise subsidy mechanisms in conjunction with the EPR system to effectively offset recycling costs and provide incentives for fostering green innovation within power battery enterprises. (3) Encouraging proactive engagement of power battery enterprises in strategic self-reform to align with the EPR system requirements and formulate comprehensive green technology innovation strategies. (4) Enhancing the awareness of innovation among executives to accelerate the development and advancement of green products. By focusing on these four crucial dimensions, the promotion of green innovation in power battery enterprises can be strategically and efficiently pursued, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the sector.

Analysis of Lifespan of Plastic Pallets and Containers in Korea Using Probability Density Function (PDF)

Pallets and containers are reused for a long period of time and are circulated and shared among consumers via a pool system. Although attempts have recently been made to convert to an EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) system in Korea, it is difficult to calculate their mandatory recycling rates because they are treated as the same waste, even though they are clearly different from disposable consumer goods and plastic packaging materials. In this study, we tried to calculate waste generation based on the lifespan of plastic pallets and containers using the probability density function. The life distribution for each material (PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene)) of pallets and containers was derived, and by applying this, the amount of waste generation from 2010 to 2027 was estimated. The Mean Time to Failure among pallets was 9.6 years for PE and 3.2 years for PP, and among containers, was 16.5 years for PE and 12.2 years for PP. Additionally, it was calculated that pallets had a waste generation rate of 67.5% to 75.1% by shipment, and containers 26.9–69.2%. These results can be used to calculate the waste generation rate when calculating the mandatory recycling rate of pallets and containers in the future. However, since pallets and containers are used second-hand, or are exported together with products after being shipped domestically, the amount flowing into recycling companies decreases, so it is considered that supplementation via material balance analysis is necessary to calculate the mandatory recycling rate.

Improving the WEEE recycling fund system in China: Multi-objective decision-making model based on EPR system

China has established a government recycling fund system based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR). The principle of EPR is the key to the sustainable development of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling. The implementation of the recycling fund system has been facing major problems. This article proposes a plan on refining the producer's recycling target to improve the current fund system in China. With the aim to maximize the amount of WEEE recycling, minimize the overall producer's recycling cost, and providing the best supports to the recycling industry, a multi-objective decision-making model is constructed to identify the optimum producer's recycling target for WEEE. Data from the recycling fund system and EPR pilot project of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are used to test the model. The results show that, under the condition that the amount of recycling is equal to the current level, the levy of recycling fund can be reduced by 20%, which can effectively drive the producers to take more responsibility in the collection and recycling of their end-of-life products. The multi-objective decision-making model for producer's recycling target provides a basis for the adjustment of China's WEEE recycling fund system policy, which will alleviate the challenge at present, and involve more producers to devote in collection systems. It also shows the alternative solution for EPR in non-fund business models in the recycling industry.

Management of Used COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment: A Bibliometric Analysis and Literature Review

Using a science mapping approach, we analyzed the exponential increase in the number of scientific documents about the negative environmental impacts produced by waste from personal protective equipment (PPE), especially face masks, used to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission worldwide. Our results revealed that India, China, and Canada are leaders in this research field, which is clearly related to environmental issues, but also the solutions developed from an engineering point of view. Our analysis of the most-relevant documents in the field uncovered the considerable negative effects of PPE waste in aquatic media, its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, effects on wildlife, etc. To reduce the negative environmental impacts of PPE waste, we need to implement innovative ecodesign strategies for their green production, including their re-use as and the use of recycling materials, but also a collaboration with the population to reduce PPE waste at its source. Both action lines could be materialized by establishing a collective, extended producer responsibility system for PPE to ensure their sustainable production and consumption. These well-implemented strategies will contribute to maintaining progress towards achieving sustainable development goals.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS FOR EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY AS A PROPOSAL TO STREAMLINE POST-CONSUMER PACKAGING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN POLAND

The transposition of new regulations into national legal systems, including updated goals and requirements for the management of packaging placed on the market and packaging waste, provides a number of opportunities for the operation of post-consumer waste management systems. This publication focuses on the essence and characteristics of the system of extended producer responsibility in selected European countries. This paper identifies, on the basis of an analysis taking into account the scopes of legal, economic, physical, and informational liability, key areas of the extended producer responsibility system requiring improvements. It develops recommendations regarding the possibility of introducing changes to the functioning of the EPR system in Poland. The implementation of the improvement proposals for the EPR can significantly contribute to achieving the existing EU waste targets, as well as the ambitious new targets included in the EU Circular Economy.

Evaluation index system for the implementation of extended producer responsibility system: Chinese beverage paper‐based composite packaging manufacturers

Paper‐based composite packages, which have been widely used for beverage in modern daily life, are featured of nutrition preservation and convenience. However, it is also causing environmental problems in urban areas because of the low recycling rate. The introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) is helpful to improving the recycling rate of beverage paper‐based composite packaging by extending the producer's environmental‐protecting responsibility for the product from its production to its end‐of‐life treatment. To find out the optimal strategy of applying the EPR system for beverage paper‐based composite packaging, this paper is conducted based on the basic framework of the EPR system, combined with the specific requirements of the EPR System Implementation Plan promulgated by China and the Implementation Plan of the EPR System for Beverage Paper‐Based Composite Packaging. An evaluation index system for beverage paper‐based composite packaging manufacturers is constructed to perform the EPR system, including three management‐level indicators, 10 standard‐level indicators and 42 programme‐level indicators. A comprehensive evaluation method is introduced to help the producers to fulfill the extended producer responsibility. Results suggest that beverage paper‐based composite packaging producers should first fulfill the responsibility in information disclosure, ecological design and use of recycled materials.

Research on Closed-Loop Supply Chain Decision Making of Power Battery Considering Subsidy Transfer under EPR System

With new energy vehicles becoming the mainstream of new vehicles sold, the surge in user ownership has triggered a wave of power battery scrapping, and the environmental problems caused by improper power battery recycling are becoming more serious. It is essential to promote the development of the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) of power batteries effectively through government subsidies under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime. Combining the EPR system with the battery manufacturer as the leader and the vehicle manufacturer and the retailer as the subordinates, this paper constructs and solves four models of different CLSC subsidy objects and analyzes the pricing of power batteries by different subsidy objects by using the Stackelberg game, as well as the profit change and profit distribution ratio of each CLSC participant. The results of the study showed: (1) when the unit subsidy is limited, the government should subsidize all the CLSC subjects as much as possible. (2) When the government subsidizes the remanufacturing of power batteries, the recycling rate of power batteries is higher, and the benefits of the CLSC are better than those of subsidizing other actors. (3) The change in government subsidy objects will not affect the profit distribution ratio of CLSC, mainly because the subsidy not only improves the recovery rate, but also improves the profitability of each entity.

Channel coordination in a closed‐loop supply chain with fairness concerns under further extended producer responsibility

AbstractThis paper proposes a further extended producer responsibility system to study the operations of the supply chain with fairness concerns. By comparing four scenarios regarding whether channel members concern fairness, we obtain the following results: the coordinated development can be accomplished for channel members when the dominant producer makes pricing decisions with more consideration for the profit of follower; both the producer and the retailer can adjust the degree of demand information disclosure in some ways to obtain more profits; the further extended producer responsibility system (FEPR) system can serve as an effective low‐carbon development measure that leads to higher emission reduction and end‐products recovery.

Circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) industry: A systematic review and future research agendas

Circular economy is a sustainable economic development model. It replaces the traditional economic development model that relies heavily on resource consumption and waste generation. Circular economy is particularly important to the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry as e-waste contains toxic substances and precious metals. While previous review studies focused on specific aspects of the WEEE industry (e.g., “4R” circular economy strategies), these studies offer little details on how circular economy practices affect the development of the environment and economy in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. This study examines “10R” circular economy strategies to advance knowledge of the existing literature that focuses on “4R” circular economy strategies. To improve the methodology used in the previous review studies that apply subjective methods (e.g., content analysis), this paper conducts a systematic literature review on 208 studies and uses citation network analysis to examine specific circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. The citation network analysis identified five major research domains (i.e., “e-waste management systems and practices”, “e-waste legislation and its components”, “extended producer responsibility schemes”, “recycling critical materials from e-waste”, “circular economy strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry”). Based on these results, this study conducts a main path analysis to reveal ten major topics (i.e., e-waste recycling system; exploring untapped e-waste; compliance assurance of stakeholders; e-waste reverse logistics; reward and punishment mechanisms in extended producer responsibility system; verifying the rationality of product classification; recycling critical materials from urban mines; setting a specific target for preparation for reuse; “10R” strategies applied in the smart factory; consumer attitude toward remanufactured/refurbished/repurposed strategies and the resultant products) in the identified research domain. Finally, this paper proposes future research directions and provides managerial and policy implications for researchers and practitioners. • “10R” strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. • Effect of circular economy practices on environmental and economic performance. • Related publications evolution characteristics in 2003–2020. • Five key research domains of circular economy practices and their major topics. • Research directions for future studies.

Optimal Decisions and Implementation Efficiency of the Extended Producer Responsibility System for E-Waste under Take-Back Legislations

The collection and reuse of the e-wastes have attracted increasing attention all over the world. In order to incentivize the producer to collect and recover the e-waste, more and more countries have formulated the take-back legislation with the economic or administrative instruments based on the spirit of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Facing two different types of policy instruments (economic or administrative instrument), how the take-back legislation affects the collection and reuse of the e-waste and how to ensure the efficiencies of the two types of take-back legislation have attracted the public’s attention. Therefore, this paper establishes a stylized model consisting of a monopoly manufacturer who is responsible for collection and remanufacturing under two different types of the take-back legislation. The manufacturer’s optimal production, collection, remanufacturing decisions, and optimal profit are derived using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions. Sensitivity analysis shows that stricter mandated collection rate hurts the manufacturer’s profit, but the effects of the government’s subsidy and tax on the manufacturer’s optimal decisions rely on the cost of the new product. The firm needs to adjust the cost of the new products corresponding to the specific subsidy and tax. Finally, a neutral fiscal policy is proposed to determine the government’s optimal subsidy and tax in order to ensure the consistency of the efficiencies of the two types of take-back legislation. The government should set that the ratio of the optimal tax and subsidy under the neutral fiscal policy is exactly consistent with the mandatory collection target. This policy aims to guide the manufacturer’s voluntary collection rate to meet the government’s mandated collection target and thus change the mandatory collection mode to the voluntary collection mode.

Analysis on the Optimal Recycling Path of Chinese Lead-Acid Battery under the Extended Producer Responsibility System

The pollution control problem of discarded lead-acid batteries has become increasingly prominent in China. An extended producer responsibility system must be implemented to solve the problem of recycling and utilization of waste lead batteries. Suppose the producer assumes responsibility for the entire life cycle of lead batteries. In that case, it will effectively reduce environmental pollution caused by non-compliant disposal of waste lead batteries, reduce environmental pollution, and achieve the sustainable development of lead resources. Based on the operating mechanism of the extended responsibility system for lead-acid battery producers in China, this article considers three recycling channel structures: recycling only by manufacturers (mode M), recycling by the union (mode R), and third-party recycling (mode C). This article comprehensively compares the differences between the three recycling channels. The research results show that: (1) under the EPR system, the choice of production companies is affected by the recovery rate and profit rate. (2) By comparing different recycling channel models, we found that the recovery rate of independent recycling by the manufacturer is the largest. Still, the profit rate of the manufacturer that entrusts the alliance (M) to recycle is the highest. The manufacturer can entrust to alliance or independent recycling of waste lead batteries according to the different profit rates and recovery rates. (3) From the perspective of the supply chain, independent recycling (M) by production companies or recycling (R) by the commissioned union may be the best. The choice of recycling channels for producers depends on independent recycling and commissioning alliance’ recycling costs and reuse costs.

Analysis of the Driving Factors of the Extended Producer Responsibility System in China’s Tire Industry

The effective treatment of wrap tires could mitigate black pollution, reduce carbon emission, and supply risks. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is an effective way to deal with the problems aroused from wrap tires in some countries. In order to analyze the driving factors for the EPR system in the Chinese tire industry, this study first identifies the key driving factors based on literature analysis, expert interviews, and field research. And then, using the grey decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory (Grey-DEMATEL) method, the interrelationships among these factors were quantified analyzed. We find that the causal factor is to “strengthen the service function of dealers and service providers and improve the satisfaction of sales channels.” Finally, sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the robustness of the results. Conclusions are summarized below. If the implementation of the EPR system for tire companies can promote the sales of new tires, achieving the economic and environmental benefits must be the most critical factor. The effect factor is to fulfill social responsibility and achieve the brand effect. This result is in line with the original intention of tire companies to fulfill social responsibility and realize resource recycling. The key factors are related to policy guidance and regulations at the national level. And managerial implications are suggested for promoting the EPR system in China tire industry.