EPR AWARENESS, BUSINESS COMPLIANCE AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRACTICES IN E-WASTE MANAGEMENT: EVIDENCE FROM TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

The rapid digitalization of economies has transformed electronic waste (e-waste) into a key sustainability and management issue for businesses, regulators, consumers and all other stakeholders. The growing adoption of electronics, coupled with the rapid turnover of products and the inconsistent enactment of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), has heightened worries in Tamil Nadu regarding regulatory compliance, resource recovery, and sustainable practices. The study investigates e-waste management in Tamil Nadu from three angles – business activity, stakeholder participation, and policy making with special focus on EPR awareness, compliance of stakeholders, involvement of informal sector, and circular economy opportunities. A mixed methods research approach was followed with survey analysis of households, small electronics businesses and IT businesses as well as semi-structured interviews with regulatory officials, certified recyclers, informal sector workers, and non-governmental organizations. The results have indicated that there is a lack of source separation, formal recycling, stakeholder awareness, infrastructure and regulation enforcement. The analysis also shows that businesses are considerably more compliant with respect to e-waste if they are more concerned of the requirements of EPR. The study emphasizes the importance of fostering institutional coordination, business–government partnerships, enabling formalization of informal collectors, and implementing circular business models through reuse, refurbishment, reverse logistics and resource recovery. The research results can inform managers, policymakers, recyclers, and businesses looking to enhance the sustainable management of e-waste and the circular economy.