The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), said Friday that the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act is gaining ground, with over 1,000 enterprises now registered and companies meeting initial plastic waste diversion targets based on submitted compliance reports.
In an interview, DENR Assistant Secretary Jacqueline Caancan said a total of 1,017 enterprises have registered EPR programs, either individually or collectively, or through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) as of December 2025.
“Overall, this reflects a steadily increasing level of compliance under the EPR Act of 2022, as more enterprises transition from registration toward full program implementation and reporting,” she said.
Caancan said the number includes 171 individually obligated enterprises, 16 collectives covering 84 firms, 10 PROs representing 462 enterprises, and 300 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that voluntarily joined the program.
Republic Act 11898, known as the EPR Act of 2022, amends the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, mandating large enterprises to establish programs for the recovery, recycling, or proper disposal of their plastic packaging waste, promoting a circular economy, and reducing environmental pollution.
Under the law, obligated enterprises are required to meet progressively increasing plastic waste diversion targets, starting at 20 percent in the first year of implementation and rising to 40 percent in the second year, as measured through verified recovery and diversion of their plastic packaging footprint.
These targets are designed to scale over time, pushing companies to expand collection and recycling systems while ensuring that recovery claims are supported by audited reports and validated through the government’s monitoring framework.
Caancan said that based on EPR Compliance Audit Reports (ECARs), companies have met these targets, recovering about 168 million kilograms out of a reported 509 million kilograms of plastic in 2023, and increasing recovery to around 246 million kilograms out of 440 million kilograms in 2024.
“These results show that obliged enterprises are meeting required diversion targets under the EPR framework,” Caancan said, adding that environmental performance is primarily measured through plastic footprint reporting and verified recovery and diversion outcomes.
Meanwhile, she said methodologies for translating these results into equivalent greenhouse gas emissions reductions are still being refined.
Verification, enforcement
To ensure compliance, the EMB validates submitted ECARs through documentary review, consistency checks, and verification against waste diversion certificates issued by recovery partners.
Caancan said site inspections are also conducted when necessary, “to ensure that reported recovery claims are properly substantiated”.
She said the DENR has issued show cause orders to enterprises that may be covered by the law but have not yet registered under the EPR system.
Informal waste workers
Caancan also highlighted the role of informal waste workers in the country’s waste recovery system, noting that the EPR framework actively promotes their integration into formal collection and recycling arrangements.
She said these partnerships aim to recognize and formalize their role in recovery activities, while providing more structured participation and improved economic opportunities.
The framework also requires adherence to occupational health and safety standards and encourages measures such as fair wages, gender inclusion, grievance mechanisms, child labor prevention, and other social safeguards.
“Overall, this approach ensures that informal waste workers are not only integrated into the EPR system but are also supported through safer working conditions, more structured participation, and improved economic opportunities within the circular economy,” Caancan said. (PNA)