Without a clear picture, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) becomes difficult to interpret, communicate or act on meaningfully. An integrated communication plan can strengthen EPR systems by helping different actors across the waste value chain, from producers to consumers and waste pickers, understand one another and work more cohesively. Better communication can build trust and create new opportunities for waste value creation.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that holds producers accountable for the full lifecycle of their products, especially post-consumer waste such as packaging. This includes collection, recycling, and responsible disposal, often supported by reporting requirements and industry-wide compliance frameworks. SUSCO has been working with clients to facilitate stakeholder communication across the waste value chain.
“As conversations around EPR become more visible, it’s not enough for businesses to quietly work behind the scenes,” says Ntombovuyo Linda, Communications Manager at SUSCO. “Without clear, consistent communication, even the most well-developed systems risk being under supported. But when communication is done well, it builds credibility, fosters accountability and creates stronger links between producers, consumers and waste workers. It helps people see where they fit in and why it matters.”
As many businesses are now expected to report on their packaging waste, reporting alone doesn’t tell the full story. Without meaningful communication, the broader picture of a functioning waste value chain and a local circular economy remains fragmented.
A circular economy thrives when waste is no longer seen as an end point, but as part of a system of value. This shift begins with communication, not only to meet regulatory requirements, but to help businesses and communities see where value can be recovered, reused and reimagined. When waste beneficiation opportunities are clearly articulated, local entrepreneurs can build capacity to leverage these opportunities, waste pickers can be recognised and supported, and partnerships can emerge to transform materials that would otherwise be discarded. But these shifts don’t happen in silence. They rely on visibility, language and shared understanding. That’s where communication plays a catalytic role.
Driving this perception requires more than just reframing waste; it demands that businesses design communication plans as part of their EPR strategy. When waste opportunities are traceable and communicated, different actors within the waste value chain can plan more effectively, partnerships become easier to build and data becomes a tool for decision-making, not just compliance.
From mapping waste journeys to visualising material flows, communication gives shape to information that would otherwise remain inaccessible or siloed. It turns complexity into something stakeholders can work with and act on.
“Working with producers we have seen that when an EPR pipeline is supported with a solid communication plan, there is much more material innovation that opens up along the waste value chain,” shares Linda.