A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland - Report to Parliament on Consultation Responses

Product Stewardship

• Most respondents supported the principle of product stewardship, and welcomed the inclusion of the products identified in the strategy, as well as alignment across the UK and EU where possible.
• There were several ways in which respondents suggested that this section could be strengthened. These included:
• That mandatory rather than voluntary measures would be preferrable.
• Adding measures to hold producers accountable for the full life cycle and the impacts of their products.
• A stronger emphasis should be placed on waste prevention measures (e.g. durability, repair, repurpose, reuse, and resale).
• Support for key measures, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, deposit return and takeback schemes, and procurement reform.

Changes Made:

• This section has been restructured to provide more clarity and make explicit reference to the importance of reuse and repair, for example.
• It now also makes explicit reference to working with the UK and other nations on a textiles EPR scheme.
• Consultation responses will also be considered as part of the development of the Product Stewardship Plan itself, which will be published later in 2026.