Product stewardship is an approach for managing the
impacts of a product (such as a mobile phone) during its
life and at end-of-life. It usually involves a take-back mechanism,
where producers of the products need to take these
back once the consumer does not use the product any longer.
The first take-back system for electronic products was
introduced in Germany in 2005 and has been in place since
then. However, experiences with this legislation show that
it is not enough simply to introduce an EPR system, but in
order to be effective its implementation needs constant
optimization. The recycling economy of the 21st century
requires appropriate adjustments on the way toward the
‘‘zero waste city” to ensure collection and recycling systems
are as effective as possible. There are some important
lessons that can be learnt from the initial introduction of
the system.