A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland

5. Product Stewardship

Priority: Adopt an evidenced-based prioritisation approach to product stewardship

Product stewardship is an approach that means whoever designs, produces, sells or uses a product takes responsibility for minimising its environmental impact, based on the polluter pays principle. Product stewardship measures are primarily focused on producer responsibility, but can be targeted across the whole supply chain, including product standards, recyclability requirements, collection and takeback schemes, support for reusable or refillable products, and encouraging repair, redistribution and reuse. By focusing on products as well as priority sectors, we can address where individual material streams, such as plastics, critical materials and chemicals, are embedded in the goods we create and use.

Our existing priorities for product stewardship are packaging, electronics, batteries, and end-of-life vehicles. These four products are covered by existing UK-wide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, which require that producers contribute to the cost of responsible management of these products at their end of life. In addition, we also have an ongoing commitment to address the impact of the use fishing gear and nets, in line with wider EU requirements. These five products will remain priorities for the Scottish Government over the next five years. We will take a partnership approach to working with industry, public bodies and other governments to support further action on pharmaceuticals and healthcare products and wind turbines

Alongside these existing priorities, we are committed to developing policy measures for three additional priority products where there is the greatest opportunity to address environmental impact, costs to the public, and economic potential over the next five years. Zero Waste Scotland has conducted research to assess the impacts and opportunities associated with different products, which we have considered alongside stakeholder engagement, consultation responses and the wider policy landscape.

Based on this evidence, we intend to prioritise policy development on clothing and household textiles, mattresses and furniture over the next five years. These products have a high carbon impact, limited end-of-life management options, and significant potential for reuse and redistribution. There is also an opportunity to align with existing and forthcoming regulations on these products, including the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to incineration, management of persistent organic chemicals, and alignment with new EU extended producer responsibility and ecodesign regulations.

We will publish a product stewardship plan in 2026 that sets out proposed policy actions on these eight products. We are committed to further reforming the existing EPR schemes, and will seek to implement a new EPR programme for textiles in partnership with the other nations of the UK. We will also consider the viability of producer responsibility schemes for mattresses and furniture in partnership with business. We will develop wider product stewardship measures across the supply chain, building on our proposed ban on the destruction of unsold goods, and action on single-use items and plastic wet-wipes. This will consider new collection and takeback routes, further action on single use, and alignment with EU Regulations. We will particularly consider how best to mainstream existing local authority, producer and waste management initiatives to expand reuse, repair and redistribution, reducing the impact of disposal and providing opportunities to address the cost of living, such as tool libraries, repair cafes, and reuse hubs.

We will identify potential measures based on principles of alignment with the EU where appropriate, ongoing collaboration across the UK, working with businesses to support innovation and additional voluntary measures, and ensuring end-of-life products are managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy. Specific policy proposals will be subject to full consultation and impact assessment.