Ukraine: advocating for deposit return and packaging EPR in wartime legislation

Building a better packaging law while the country defends itself

Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine participates in the working group developing Ukraine's Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, advocating for mandatory deposit return systems (DRS) and refill requirements alongside standard Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) provisions. The Alliance submitted 32 signatures from civil society organisations in a joint letter on technical waste incineration requirements: and the Ministry incorporated most of its recommendations.

What the advocacy covers

• Drafting submissions to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Law working group
• Advocating for DRS provisions (with partial success: the final bill has not yet included refill targets)
• Submitting joint civil society letters on incineration technical standards, with impact on final regulation
• Collaboration with the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Committee on Environmental Policy

How to engage

• Ukrainian civil society organisations: join the ZWAU network and contribute to the next round of packaging law submissions
• International EPR advocates: connect with Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine to share examples from EU packaging legislation that can strengthen the Ukrainian law
• Businesses operating in Ukraine: engage proactively with the DRS working group: getting ahead of the regulation is better than reacting to it

Why it matters

Packaging law written during wartime will shape Ukraine's post-war economy for decades. Civil society advocacy for deposit return and refill keeps circular principles in the draft, so rebuilding does not lock in disposable packaging by default.

Source & repost

Shared here so you can get inspired or find action already happening near you. Solarpunker does not own or organise it.

• Lead: Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine (ZWAU)
• Report chapter: ZWE State of Zero Waste Municipalities, 5th edition