Chile’s Ministry of the Environment has published a set of technical proposals aimed at improving the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for packaging (envases y embalajes), reflecting a cooperative effort between government and industry stakeholders to tackle practical barriers in the law’s rollout.
The move comes as the country’s broader EPR framework seeks to shift packaging waste management towards circular economy practices and more effective packaging recycling.
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Collaborative diagnostic identifies key obstacles in packaging epr rollout
Representatives from producer responsibility organisations, municipal associations, industry associations and public agencies participated in the Mesa Ejecutiva para la Productividad (MEP), a government-facilitated working group coordinated by Chile’s economic development agency Corfo and the Ministry of the Environment.
The MEP process was designed to identify systemic challenges affecting the implementation of the EPR system for packaging, which is an integral part of Chile’s Law 20.920 on extended producer responsibility and waste management.
The diagnostic work identified four priority challenges.
These relate to aligning recycling and collection targets with current system capacity; improving procurement and tender processes; increasing participation by both consumers and municipal authorities; and enhancing the flexibility of management plans under the EPR regime.
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By GlobalDataParticipants formulated evidence-based, operational proposals focused on improving efficiency, traceability and economic sustainability within the packaging EPR framework.
Technical recommendations inform regulatory revision
The proposals were formally delivered to the Ministry of the Environment in mid-January 2026 as input to the ongoing review of Decree Supreme 12, a key regulatory instrument that sets specific recycling and valorisation targets for packaging under the EPR system.
The decree establishes obligations for producers to organise and finance waste management for packaging that enters the Chilean market, with a staged rollout intended to progressively increase collection and recycling rates.
Officials noted that collaboration between public and private sector actors is fundamental to ensuring that the EPR framework’s environmental objectives are met in a way that is operationally viable across Chile’s regions.
The proposals aim to support the design of regulatory adjustments that sustain environmental outcomes while recognising the technical and economic realities of packaging recycling.
Context and implications for producers and waste management
Chile’s EPR law, formalised in 2016 as Law 20.920, establishes that producers of defined “priority products”, including packaging, must be responsible for financing and organising the collection, recycling and final treatment of the waste arising from those products.
This framework aims to promote sustainable waste management and incentivise reuse, recycling and material recovery, in line with circular economy principles.
Under the packaging category, specific targets for recollection and valorisation have been defined and are being phased in to increase recycling rates over time. Producers must participate in authorised management systems and comply with reporting and performance requirements.
Stakeholders have emphasised the need for clear guidance and regulatory coherence to support compliance, particularly for smaller producers and municipalities with limited technical capacity.
The technical proposals presented through the MEP process are intended to inform policymakers as they refine Chile’s EPR regulatory framework, with the broader goal of strengthening packaging recycling systems and supporting Chile’s transition to a more circular economy.
