Consulting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

EPR deadlines are arriving and the fees scale with the packaging you report. State programs are expanding fast, and reporting depends on packaging data most companies do not have in one place. TEN-E builds the data, reporting, and fee-reduction strategy to keep you compliant and turn EPR into a cost lever.

What Is Extended Producer Responsibility?

Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is a regulatory model that makes producers financially responsible for the packaging they put into the market. A growing number of states require producers to report the packaging they use, by material and weight, and to pay fees tied to that packaging.

EPR consulting is the work of getting ready for and staying ahead of those requirements. It covers assessing your obligation, building accurate packaging data, producing jurisdiction-specific reports, and identifying design and material changes that lower the fees you owe.

Why Does EPR Matter?

EPR requirements are expanding, and the packaging data needed to report is usually fragmented across product, engineering, and procurement systems, which makes accurate reporting difficult and error-prone. Getting it wrong carries real exposure, including fees, public listing of non-compliant producers, and in some states penalties that accrue by the day.

Handled well, EPR becomes more than a compliance task. Many programs use eco-modulation, which raises or lowers fees based on how recyclable a package is, so the same data that drives a report also reveals where material and design changes lower the fees owed. Producers who model and prepare can convert regulatory risk into savings, while those who wait tend to pay more and move slower.

Who Can Benefit:

Brand ownersCompanies that put packaged products into the market and hold the reporting obligation across multiple states.

Importers and distributorsOrganizations responsible for packaging entering EPR states through their supply chain.

Producers over reporting thresholdsCompanies whose revenue or packaging volume crosses the thresholds that trigger itemized reporting and modulated fees.

Sustainability and compliance teamsTeams that need accurate packaging data and a defensible reporting process without building it from scratch.

How We Support Your EPR Program

What We Do

Our EPR service is delivered as an end-to-end managed approach across four phases, plus ongoing fee optimization.

Data readiness and completeness, assessing current packaging data, identifying gaps, mapping sources and ownership, and building a remediation plan
EPR data preparation, standardizing material classifications, calculating packaging weights and compositions, and mapping products to applicable jurisdictions
EPR reporting, producing jurisdiction-specific reports, supporting fee calculations, managing quality review, and maintaining an audit-ready trail
Continuous opportunity identification, finding fee reduction opportunities, evaluating material substitution, and tracking regulatory changes over time
Eco-modulation modeling, aligning packaging with the fee structures that reward recyclable, right-sized design so your reported fees trend down

Typical Outcomes

An EPR engagement is built to deliver both compliance and savings. Typical outcomes include the following

A clear view of your obligation and predicted fees across every state where you sell
A trusted packaging data foundation with governance and clear ownership
Accurate, audit-ready EPR reports produced on time for each applicable jurisdiction
Forecasting and dashboards that make fee exposure visible
A fee reduction strategy that offsets or lowers obligations through design and material change
Lower fees over time as eco-modulation opportunities are captured
Ongoing tracking that keeps you ahead of changing requirements

Facing an EPR deadline?

Tell us where you sell and we will help you assess your obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

It can. The same packaging data that supports a report also shows where material reduction, substitution, and recyclable design lower the fees you owe. Producers who treat EPR as a cost lever, rather than only a filing, can offset fees and drive network-wide savings over time.

Yes, and that is where most engagements begin. Our first phase assesses your current data, finds the gaps, maps where the data lives and who owns it, and builds a remediation plan, so you reach reporting-ready data even if you are starting from scattered systems.

Consequences vary by state and can include fees, public listing as a non-compliant producer, penalties that accrue by the day, retroactive fee recovery, and in some cases restrictions on selling into the state. Because the specifics change, we track current requirements for the jurisdictions that apply to you.

Eco-modulation is the practice, built into many EPR programs, of adjusting fees based on how recyclable or sustainable a package is. Recyclable, right-sized packaging can earn lower fees, while hard-to-recycle materials can carry higher ones. We model your portfolio against these fee structures and identify the material and design changes that move fees in your favor.

It depends on the state, but obligations generally fall on brand owners, importers, and distributors that exceed defined revenue or packaging-volume thresholds. Smaller producers may be exempt or subject to fixed fees, while larger producers face itemized reporting and modulated fees. We assess your obligation across the states where you sell.