Australia's extended producer responsibility for portable consumer batteries: conflicting or reconciling trade and environment obligations?

Jennifer Brown, Shawkat Alam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The article focuses on the Australian portable consumer battery market to consider whether the globalization that has fostered world trade can also deliver a sustainable product. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a tool used by many governments to deliver such outcomes. With increased portable consumer battery consumption and greater dependence on portable technologies, EPR could be a way to achieve sustainable battery consumption. In the course of the discussion the article explores the nexus between trade and environment regimes. This is because the Australian market is largely supplied from overseas battery manufacturers. Given current trade flows in electronic waste these countries could also be the destination for battery wastes. The article considers whether Australia can navigate these two regimes in order to apply an EPR measure on portable consumer batteries. It examines the existing Australian hazardous waste framework and concludes with suggestions as to how the framework could be improved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)125-152
Number of pages28
JournalJournal of World Trade
Volume43
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2009

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