Focus on… Ethiopia

The environment is a pressing issue in Ethiopia, a country which is heavily dependent on agriculture, and is therefore doing its best to decrease carbon emissions.

In 1997, Ethiopia introduced the Environmental Policy which aims to “improve and enhance the health and quality of life of all Ethiopians and to promote sustainable social and economic development”.

Based on the Environment Policy, Ethiopia enforced the legal act “Environmental Pollution Control Proclamation No 300/2002” in 2002 – Article 3 of which introduced the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle for the first time. This article sets out general rules regarding the control or prevention of pollution, including the use of clean technologies and the polluter pays principle.

In 2007, Ethiopia enforced the legal act “Solid Waste Management Proclamation 513/2007” which partially introduced EPR for two different streams: the first obliges the manufacturer and importer of glass containers or tin cans to develop and implement a collection and recycling scheme for these products, and the second prohibits the manufacturing, importation, selling or use of any non-degradable plastic bags.

Even though this legal act is published and enforced in the law, the authorities have not yet put it into practice, which is why they are currently drafting two new legal acts.

The first is the “Solid Waste Proclamation-on the Plastic Products” which will impose EPR for glass containers, tin cans, plastic bottles, and plastic bags. The second will cover lead-acid batteries from market entry until final disposal – and the draft for this act will then be used to cover other battery types and waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Ethiopia is one of the countries covered by Landbell Group’s Regulatory Tracking Reports. Find out more about the reports here.