Across the world, governments are introducing new product stewardship rules to tackle growing waste and improve recycling systems. Schemes such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Federal Plastics Registries (FPR) are expanding quickly, bringing new reporting requirements, unfamiliar data demands and cost implications for businesses.

For many teams, the biggest challenge is not the regulation itself, but the data behind it. As EPR schemes mature and fees scale, organisations are discovering that the real challenge is not just reporting accurately but understanding what their data is telling them. When product and packaging data is fragmented or unmanaged, EPR becomes reactive and expensive. But when this data is organised and consistent, it can provide much stronger insight into costs forecasting, material choices and circular design.

These themes were explored in a recent Flag webinar with Circular Materials and Workiva. You can watch the full webinar recording below, or continue reading for the key takeaways.

Watch the webinar recording

Why product stewardship is accelerating

Globally, waste volumes continue to rise, recycling systems are struggling and, in turn, governments are shifting responsibility towards the organisations that place products and packaging on the market. This is prompting rapid growth in EPR and other stewardship schemes.

The aim is not to penalise businesses, but to encourage better design and material choices by linking fees more closely to impact. As a result, EPR is becoming a strategic, board-level issue with direct implications for product and packaging design, cost management and long‑term competitiveness.

Understanding EPR compliance

EPR changes who is responsible for what happens to products and packaging at end of life. Under EPR, producers may need to report what they place on the market, pay fees to fund recycling systems with fees typically calculated based on the type and volume of material placed on the market – and meet additional requirements, depending on the material type.

Although the core elements are similar worldwide – producers in scope, materials in scope, fee calculation and reporting – the detail varies. Definitions, timelines and reporting formats differ across regions, making it difficult for global organisations to manage compliance consistently.

EPR as a financial and operational issue

As schemes expand, EPR fees are becoming a material cost for producers. They often behave like a variable cost linked to each product sold, influenced by packaging weight, materials and recyclability.

This means that EPR can no longer sit solely with sustainability or compliance teams. Finance, commercial and product teams all have a role to play. With clearer data, organisations can forecast costs, understand cost drivers and assess how design changes affect both sustainability and margins.

Lessons from a mature EPR market

Looking at a mature EPR market like Canada offers useful lessons. Guest speaker Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, highlighted the importance of strong data governance, clear processes and ongoing data quality improvement as programmes evolve.

A recurring theme was that EPR becomes far easier to manage when treated as part of everyday operations, rather than an annual task. Organisations that build strong foundations early are better prepared as requirements expand or new materials come into scope.

The case for a unified product data model

EPR is one part of a growing group of product sustainability regulations that now includes plastics registries, electronic waste stewardship, packaging sustainability rules, chemical safety regulations and emerging traceability requirements.

Managing each regulation separately creates duplication and confusion. A unified product and packaging data model – where key attributes are captured once and reused across multiple requirements – offers a more efficient and resilient approach.

This reduces manual work, supports consistency and helps organisations stay ready as future regulations emerge.

Why data and technology matter for EPR management

EPR is fundamentally a data challenge. Many teams still rely on spreadsheets, manual checks and data from multiple systems, which increases effort and audit risk.

Platforms like Workiva provide a collaborative, audit‑ready environment where teams can work from a single source of truth, making it an effective place to manage EPR data – especially for organisations already using the platform for financial and non‑financial reporting.

Flag’s EPR Workiva accelerator builds on this with a straightforward, ready-to-use structure for clearer and more consistent EPR and product stewardship reporting. It includes templates, workflows and data connections that help teams:

• reduce manual effort
• standardise EPR data management and reporting across markets
• improve accuracy and version control
• flex and scale easily as new EPR and product stewardship requirements come online.

Together, Workiva’s platform and Flag’s EPR accelerator give organisations a quicker, more dependable way to produce accurate EPR submissions, while also laying the groundwork for deeper insight into products and materials opportunities.

When data is organised and accessible, teams can move beyond box ticking and use EPR insights to forecast costs, run scenarios and make more informed design choices.

Turning EPR compliance into strategic insight

When organisations treat EPR as a strategic data source rather than ‘just reporting’, it can support:

• cost forecasting and control
• identifying materials with a higher cost or impact
• lightweighting and material changes
• circular design and eco‑modulation strategies.

Using EPR data in this way helps organisations move from reactive reporting to proactive, insight‑driven decision‑making.

Need a hand?

EPR and product stewardship regulations introduce new data, reporting and compliance challenges, often across multiple markets at once. Flag helps organisations make sense of evolving requirements, establish robust product and packaging data management, and streamline reporting and compliance.

If you would like to discuss how this applies to your organisation, please get in touch at info@flag.co.uk.