From Obligation to Opportunity — Compliant.Circular.
Canada has 9 active EPR programs across provinces — each with different rules, fees, and deadlines. Stewardship is the compliance platform that turns fragmentation into opportunity.
Active EPR programs in Canada
National packaging diversion rate
CCME harmonization target year
What Is EPR?
Extended Producer Responsibility shifts the cost of managing packaging waste from municipalities and taxpayers to the companies that create it. If you place packaging on the Canadian market, you pay for its end-of-life.
This is fundamentally different from product stewardship, where costs are shared between producers and government. Under full EPR, producers fund 100% of collection, transportation, and processing — and they have a financial incentive to design packaging that is easier to recycle.
Canada is mid-transition. Ontario launched full EPR in January 2026. Quebec is modernizing EEQ. BC's Recycle BC has operated full EPR for years. And the CCME is working to harmonize everything by 2027. The result: a patchwork of 9+ provincial programs with different rules, fees, and deadlines.
A compliance tsunami is here.
Regulatory Timeline
Ontario Full EPR
Full producer responsibility for Blue Box program. Producers fund 100% of collection, transportation, and processing of printed paper and packaging.
Quebec EEQ Transition
Eco Entreprises Quebec modernization. Transitioning from shared-responsibility to full EPR model with new eco-modulation fee schedules.
BC Recycle BC
Recycle BC operates Canada's most mature full-EPR packaging program. Continuous improvement targets and expanding material acceptance lists.
CCME Harmonization
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment working to harmonize provincial EPR frameworks into a coherent national approach.
The Stewardship Ecosystem
Canada's EPR landscape connects producers, PROs, municipalities, and recyclers in a complex web of obligations, material flows, and regulatory requirements. The Stewardship platform maps and automates every connection.
The EPR Compliance Ecosystem
Click any participant to explore their role in the ecosystem
Obligated Producers
Compliance Destinations
Circular Return: Materials to Producers
Recycled content flows back to brand owners and manufacturers, ecomodulation rewards drive packaging redesign — the circular loop that makes EPR self-improving.
Canada's EPR ecosystem — mapped and connected
The Canadian EPR Landscape
Two models, one transition. Canada is moving from shared responsibility to full EPR — and the timeline varies by province.
Legacy Model
Product Stewardship
Shared responsibility between producers and municipalities. Producers pay a portion of collection costs, taxpayers cover the rest. Limited incentive for packaging redesign. This is the model most provinces are transitioning away from.
Target Model
Full EPR
Producers fund 100% of end-of-life packaging management. Financial responsibility drives design innovation through ecomodulation. BC pioneered this. Ontario launched in 2026. Quebec is transitioning. CCME wants national harmonization by 2027.
The key insight: full EPR aligns financial incentives with environmental outcomes. When producers pay the true cost of packaging, they design for recyclability — and that is a number both investors and regulators understand.
The Regulatory Matrix
Every province has different requirements. One platform unifies them.
Registration
- PRO registration per province
- Material category declarations
- Volume threshold qualification
automates
Reporting
- Annual obligation filing
- Material-specific fee calculation
- Ecomodulation optimization
The CCME target:
“National EPR harmonization by 2027”
Producers who build unified compliance systems today will lead when harmonization arrives. The Stewardship platform is designed for this transition — provincial compliance now, national readiness built in.
Who We Serve
Seven stakeholder groups, one connected EPR ecosystem. Each faces unique compliance challenges — the Stewardship platform solves them with shared infrastructure.
Producers & Brand Owners
Navigating 9+ provincial EPR programs with different fee structures, reporting deadlines, and material classifications. Non-compliance penalties are escalating.
Unified compliance dashboard across all provinces. Automated fee calculation, deadline tracking, and regulatory change alerts. Single data entry, multi-jurisdiction reporting.
Reduce compliance costs by 30-50%. Eliminate missed deadlines and penalty risk. Turn EPR from a cost center into a competitive advantage through ecomodulation optimization.
Model: Per-SKU monthly + reporting tier
Producer Responsibility Organizations
Managing thousands of producer registrations across fragmented systems. Data quality from producers is inconsistent and manual reconciliation consumes staff time.
Standardized data ingestion from producers, automated validation, and real-time registration management. Clean data pipelines that reduce manual processing.
80% reduction in manual data processing. Higher data quality for fee calculation. Better producer relationships through self-service compliance tools.
Model: Platform license + per-producer fee
Municipalities
Transitioning from shared-responsibility to full EPR means revenue model changes. Need to demonstrate collection efficiency to maintain PRO contracts.
Collection performance analytics, contamination rate tracking, and contract optimization tools. Benchmark against peer municipalities.
Maximize PRO contract value with data-backed performance metrics. Reduce contamination rates. Smooth the transition to full EPR with clear operational dashboards.
Model: Per-municipality annual license
Recyclers & MRFs
Inconsistent feedstock quality, no visibility into incoming material streams, and difficulty proving recycled content claims for ecomodulation credits.
Material flow tracking from collection through processing. Certified recycled content verification. Connected marketplace for secondary materials.
Predictable feedstock planning. Premium pricing for verified recycled content. Direct connection to producers seeking ecomodulation benefits.
Model: Per-facility license + marketplace commission
Retailers
Private-label packaging creates direct EPR obligations. Store-level packaging waste reporting is manual and inconsistent across provincial requirements.
Automated packaging audit for private-label products. Store-level waste reporting integrated with existing inventory systems. Cross-provincial compliance for national chains.
Compliance automation for private-label EPR. Reduced reporting burden across 1000+ stores. Packaging optimization recommendations that lower both fees and material costs.
Model: Per-store monthly + analytics tier
Stewardship Consultants
Advising clients on EPR strategy without standardized tools. Each province requires different calculations, and regulatory changes happen faster than spreadsheets can track.
White-label compliance platform for client advisory. Regulatory intelligence feed, fee modeling tools, and automated reporting that scales across your client portfolio.
Serve 3x more clients with the same team. Differentiate with real-time regulatory intelligence. Recurring revenue from platform-enabled advisory services.
Model: Advisory platform license + per-client
Regulators & Policy Makers
Limited visibility into producer compliance rates, actual diversion outcomes, and the effectiveness of ecomodulation incentives. Policy is made on incomplete data.
Aggregated, anonymized compliance dashboards. Real-time diversion rate tracking. Ecomodulation impact analysis. Cross-provincial benchmarking for CCME harmonization.
Evidence-based policy design. Real-time compliance monitoring. Data infrastructure for CCME harmonization. Position Canada as a global EPR leader.
The Platform
Four phases, each building on the last. From regulatory intelligence to national data infrastructure.
Provincial Compliance
Q1-Q2 2026
Automated registration and reporting for Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Saskatchewan EPR programs. Real-time obligation tracking and deadline management.
Fee Optimization
Q2-Q4 2026
Material-specific fee analysis, ecomodulation incentive modeling, and packaging redesign recommendations to reduce EPR obligations by 15-30%.
Cross-Province Harmonization
2026-2027
Unified reporting dashboard across all provincial programs. Single data entry, multi-jurisdiction compliance. Prepare for CCME national framework.
National Stewardship Platform
2027+
Full lifecycle tracking, circular economy analytics, and national benchmarking. Position producers as leaders in the harmonized EPR landscape.
Provincial Compliance
Automated registration and reporting for Ontario, Quebec, BC, and Saskatchewan EPR programs. Real-time obligation tracking and deadline management.
Fee Optimization
Material-specific fee analysis, ecomodulation incentive modeling, and packaging redesign recommendations to reduce EPR obligations by 15-30%.
Cross-Province Harmonization
Unified reporting dashboard across all provincial programs. Single data entry, multi-jurisdiction compliance. Prepare for CCME national framework.
National Stewardship Platform
Full lifecycle tracking, circular economy analytics, and national benchmarking. Position producers as leaders in the harmonized EPR landscape.
Global EPR Comparison
Canada can learn from countries that pioneered EPR. These nations prove that producer responsibility drives recycling rates, packaging innovation, and circular economies.
Germany
PioneerDer Grune Punkt (Green Dot) system launched in 1991 — the world's first EPR program for packaging. Dual system model now adopted across the EU.
United Kingdom
pEPR 2024Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility launched in 2024. Full cost recovery from producers with modulated fees based on recyclability.
South Korea
95%Achieved 95% packaging recycling rate through mandatory deposit-refund systems and volume-based waste fees. The global benchmark for EPR outcomes.
France
CITEOCITEO model with aggressive ecomodulation — bonuses for recyclable packaging, penalties for non-recyclable. Drives measurable packaging redesign.
Canada: 9 EPR programs, 27% national diversion rate
Provincial fragmentation limits national performance. Harmonization under CCME could unlock the same results these countries have achieved — and the Stewardship platform is built for that transition.
Canadian waste management & EPR market
Fee Structures & Ecomodulation
EPR fees vary by material type, province, and recyclability. Ecomodulation adjusts fees to reward sustainable packaging design — and penalize hard-to-recycle materials.
Material-Specific EPR Fees
Per-tonne rates by material category • Updated annually
Each provincial PRO sets fee schedules based on material type. Paper and cardboard carry lower rates. Plastics vary dramatically based on resin type and recyclability. Ecomodulation bonuses can reduce fees by 15-30% for packaging designed for circularity.
Recyclable Packaging
Mono-material plastics, uncoated paper, aluminum. Lower fees reward materials that fit existing recycling infrastructure.
Hard-to-Recycle
Multi-layer films, black plastics, mixed materials. Higher fees reflect true end-of-life cost and incentivize redesign.
Provincial Fee Optimization Opportunities
Ontario (Circular Materials)
New fee schedule with full EPR
Material audit + ecomodulation modeling
Quebec (EEQ)
Transition-period fee adjustments
Incentive program enrollment + redesign
BC (Recycle BC)
Mature system with optimization headroom
Recyclability scoring + material switches
Average fee reduction potential: 15-30%. Producers who audit their packaging, switch to recyclable materials, and leverage ecomodulation bonuses consistently pay less — while improving their environmental performance.
Funding Strategy
Canada's grant ecosystem is uniquely aligned with agriculture data infrastructure. Two stacking layers of non-dilutive capital.
Stewardship Optimization Grants
Innovation assistance for compliance tech
International EPR compliance tools
Circular Economy Funding
Sustainable development technology
Provincial waste reduction programs
$2-5M over 3 years
Stacking strategy
75% government assistance
Maximum eligible assistance
Get EPR-Ready
Canada's EPR landscape is evolving fast. Whether you're a producer, PRO, municipality, recycler, or regulator — the time to build compliance infrastructure is now.