Extended producer responsibility in developing economies: Assessment of promoting factors through retail electronic firms for sustainable e-waste management

Abstract

The adoption of the extended producers’ responsibility (EPR) principle as a mitigation strategy for e-waste management has gained impetus over the past few years. However, e-waste management in developing economies through retail electronic firms’ or producer responsibility organization is still inceptive. This study identified and analysed promoting factors of EPR principle adoption through retail electronic firms in the Ghanaian electronic industry. Through extant literature and stakeholders’ perspectives, 15 factors were identified as strategic and operational promoting factors, which were evaluated by experts. Subsequently, the grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory technique was used to analyse the data obtained. The outcome of the study suggests that operational factors have more influence than strategic factors to determine the adoption of the EPR principle. In addition, most of the important operational factors tend to be enabled by both push and pull measures by supply chain stakeholders. In the short term, adopting an advanced deposit recycling refund scheme tends to be the most effective elementary operational factor, which can push retailers to adopt the EPR principle. The significant pull elementary factors that need short-term attention include the opening up and creation of new market opportunities for e-companies as well as resilient and effective resources management. The study findings suggest that Ghana’s present policy framework is limited for the adoption of the EPR principle by retail electronic firms. The study contributes to identifying promoting factors for adoption of the EPR principle from the perspectives of both the external and internal stakeholders in the electronic industry with emphasis on push and pull strategy.

Understanding the Factors Influencing Extended Producer Responsibility in Indonesia

“…Subsidies can incentivize producers to adopt sustainable practices in the design, production, and disposal of electronic products. This can include reducing the use of hazardous materials, designing products for easy repair and recycling, and investing in sustainable e-waste management practices (Faibil et al, 2023). While the deposit-refund system still challenging in Indonesia because it compared to other countries, awareness of e-waste problems in Indonesia is still relatively low.…”

“…For instance, in China, regulatory factors strongly in uence EPR implementation, prompting the central government and local authorities to collaborate with the industry in formulating, implementing, and monitoring relevant environmental laws and regulations (Peng et al, 2018). In Ghana, operational factor have a greater impact on the implementation of EPR principles than strategic factors (Faibil et al, 2023). Conversely, in Indonesia, administrative incentives emerge as a signi cant factor in uencing producers' intentions to implement EPR in the country (Ardi and Purwojatmiko, 2019).…”

Electronic Waste Collection Incentivization Scheme Based on the Blockchain

“…The item has the potential to undergo recycling, reutilization, or environmentally sound disposal [15]. Under this plan, manufacturers will receive financial incentives to produce goods that have high rates of recyclability and reusability, and to integrate recycled materials into their products whenever feasible [16]. EPR initiatives can be implemented across various tiers of governance, ranging from the national to the regional and local levels [17].…”

O licenciamento ambiental e a efetividade dos sistemas de logística reversa: estudo de caso nos setores de eletroeletrônicos de uso doméstico e de embalagem em geral no estado de São Paulo

“…Nesses países, as barreiras à introdução da política de REP reside na viabilidade econômica, que segundo os autores é representada por seis barreiras: i) a coleta de recicláveis que ocorre próxima a indústria e envolve catadores informais, por isso, um sistema de REP Faibil et al (2023), identificaram em seu estudo fatores indutores para a adoção de princípios de REP em empresas eletrônicas de varejo em Gana.…”

“…Já a revisão sistemática da literatura de Mishra et al (2023) O estado da arte da REP, no cenário internacional, indica que nos países a implantação desse sistema ocorre pelo enforcement (ALEV et al, 2019;BOGACKA;SALAZAR, 2022;CHINDA, 2017;FAIBIL et al, 2023;FAVOT et al, 2022;LEAL FILHO et al, 2019;GUPTA;DASH, 2023;HARRIS et al, 2021;HOUBAO;QIANG;JUNJUN, 2022;JOHANNES et al, 2021;KURISU et al, 2020;LIU et al, 2020;MISHRA et al, 2023;PANZONE et al, 2021;ZHANG;HALE, 2022) Segundo a Eurostat (2022), desde 2004, a quantidade de resíduos recuperados aumentou significativamente na UE 3 . Ainda de acordo com a agência, isso quer dizer que, a participação das operações de recuperação no tratamento total de resíduos aumentou de 46% em 2004 para 60% em 2020, ou seja, o índice foi de 100 para 140 pontos.…”