On January 25, 2024, the Government of Yukon (YG) enacted the Extended Responsibility Regulation, requiring a stewardship program from all producers wishing to sell obligated products in the territory.
After extensive consultation with members, our board of directors, and the Yukon Government, Product Care was not given a clear mandate from members to proceed with submitting a stewardship plan, given several concerns regarding the viability and sustainability of the program – which have been summarized below. The decision was communicated to members this past summer and to the Government of Yukon on September 25, 2024.
Concerns impacting program success and sustainability
Yukon’s unique geography and population size (~45,000 residents) present significant challenges to achieving the financial sustainability of an HSP program. As has been previously communicated, initial financial modelling revealed that the Environmental Handling Fees (EHF) required to make the program viable were substantially high—estimated to be 7–10 times the rates seen in other jurisdictions.
Solutions to achieve EPR in Yukon
To address these challenges, Product Care has initiated discussions with YG to explore collaborative solutions aimed at balancing reasonable fees with long-term program sustainability. Our position remains that without a mandate from our members and a collaborative solution that addresses the concerns of financial sustainability, Product Care will not be able to submit a program plan by the regulated deadline.
We remain committed to keeping members informed as progress is made and will share further updates soon.
We value your feedback and recommendations, as they are essential to creating a successful and sustainable stewardship program. If you have any questions or require more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at yukon@productcare.org.
Sincerely,
The Product Care Team