Bangladesh Enforces Extended Producer Responsibility Guidelines for Plastic Waste

On 13 August 2026, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) published the “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Guidelines 2026 for Plastic Waste Management” in its Official Gazette under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995, which took effect on the same day.

The new framework broadly covers recyclable and non-recyclable plastics manufactured or used in Bangladesh and assigns post-consumer responsibilities to manufacturers, importers, brand owners, and other obligated entities. These responsibilities include collection, recycling, and environmentally sound management of residues that cannot be recovered or recycled. Export-oriented factories producing exclusively export orders are excluded. The Department of Environment (DoE) will progressively identify covered entities and administer registration, EPR implementation plans, quantitative targets, and annual reporting.

Guidelines Scope and Obligated Entities

The Guidelines define “Obligated Entities” very broadly. In addition to large, medium, and small industrial enterprises, the scope includes importers, product manufacturers, brand owners, online platforms, supermarket and retail chains, and recycling companies handling covered plastics.

The DoE will phase in the system by business size: large enterprises are to be listed during the first and second years after implementation, medium enterprises during the third and fourth years, and small enterprises in the fifth year. Once listed, an entity must register within six months. Registration is valid for three years, and the DoE is generally expected to review an application within 30 working days.

Regulated plastics are divided into five categories:

• Rigid plastics: beverage and cosmetic bottles, containers, and caps
• Flexible plastics: films, pouches, sachets, laminates, and multilayer packaging
• Expanded polystyrene (EPS): cups, egg trays, food containers and cutleries
• Single-use plastics (SUPs) that are not prohibited (banned SUPs remain prohibited even if similar products fall within an EPR category)
• Other plastic-containing products: sanitary products, diapers, cigarette filters, garment padding, foams, fishing nets, and oxo-degradable plastics

 Collection and Recycling Targets

The Guidelines establish minimum collection and recycling targets for obligated entities. Obliged entities enlisted within two years of these guidelines come into effect must achieve at least 15% collection and 7.5% recycling during the first and second years. During years three to five, the minimum targets increase to 30% collection and 15% recycling. The targets must be achieved separately for each of the five plastic categories. Overachievement in one category cannot automatically be used to offset a shortfall in another category. The government may review the targets after the first three years of implementation, following consultation with stakeholders.

Waste collected by local authorities cannot be counted toward an obligated entity’s EPR target. Companies will therefore need traceable collection systems of their own, including arrangements through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), private collectors, material recovery facilities, or recyclers.

Compliance Options and Plastic Credits

Obligated entities may implement EPR activities directly or collectively through a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). An EPR implementation plan must be submitted as part of registration. The Guidelines also introduce a regulatory Plastic Credit mechanism. Plastic collected in excess of an entity’s collection target may be treated as a Plastic Credit through  government-approved methods and may be sold to other obligated entities or in international markets. Surplus credits may generally be used or sold within the following two financial years.

An entity that has achieved at least two-thirds of its own target through actual performance may purchase Plastic Credits from another obligated entity to cover the remaining shortfall, provided the credits relate to the same plastic category. These Plastic Credits are compliance credits created under the Bangladesh EPR framework. They should not automatically be treated as equivalent to independently certified credits under private standards such as the Verra Plastic Program. The detailed government-approved procedures, including rules for any international use, will need to be confirmed as the system is implemented. The annex to the Guidelines also provides a formula for calculating the EPR Project Fund, as shown below:

F = R × V × Fs

R= mandatory recycling rate
V= quantity of covered plastic sold in the domestic market
Fs= unit cost of environmentally sound collection, recycling, logistics, and other treatment activities.

Reporting, Monitoring, and Corporate Implications

Obligated entities must report to the DoE by August each year on the previous financial year’s domestic sales or distribution volumes and their collection and recycling performance. Failure to submit the annual report may prevent renewal of registration. The DoE may conduct inspections, audits, and data verification, and may suspend or cancel registration or take legal action in cases such as the submission of false information.

For companies supplying products or packaging to the Bangladesh domestic market, an early priority will be to classify each SKU and packaging material into the five EPR categories, quantify domestic market placements, and establish evidence supporting category-specific collection and recycling performance. Flexible plastics such as sachets, laminates, and multilayer packaging may present particular challenges because of their collection and recycling characteristics.

Companies should also review contracts and traceability arrangements with PROs, collectors, material recovery facilities, and recyclers. Because municipal collection cannot be counted toward company targets and compliance is assessed by plastic category, simple financial contributions alone may not be sufficient; companies will need systems capable of tracing actual quantities collected and recycled. Export-only manufacturing is excluded, but operations that also place products on the Bangladesh domestic market may fall within the framework. Companies with both export and domestic sales should therefore maintain clear market-specific quantity records.

Source:
https://www.dpp.gov.bd/upload_file/gazettes/62642_41454.pdf