Episode 491: #397 - Understanding Extended Producer Responsibility (Deep State?)

For this episode, we hoped to welcome Brian Bastien of Product Care Recycling to discuss Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs and their impact on the lighting industry. The President of NAILD reached out—non-profit to non-profit—to open a conversation about how these programs support sustainability and what they mean for lighting distributors.  Surprisingly, every expert we invited declined the opportunity to join us. That’s a first for us, as the lighting industry has always been generous with its time. Mr. Bastien was the only one to formally respond, mailing a letter to the President of NAILD stating that his schedule was completely full—now and in the future—due to the demands of EPR.  We certainly understand that time is valuable, especially when overseeing such a critical initiative. That said, lighting distributors are a key stakeholder group, and Get a Grip on Lighting is proud to serve as the official podcast of NAILD—North America’s only trade association dedicated exclusively to lighting distributors. Given that the industry contributes significant funding to Product Care Recycling, we believe it would be beneficial to have an open discussion about the role and value of EPR in lighting.  So, while this episode won’t feature Mr. Bastien, we’re still diving into the topic. Our goal is simple: to better understand EPR, its benefits, and its challenges. We sincerely hope to have the opportunity to speak with Mr. Bastien—or another representative from Product Care Recycling—at some point in the future.  We think a 30–45 minute conversation would go a long way in helping everyone gain clarity on this important issue.