Consumer Products Sustainability: EPR, Circular Economy, ESG

Sustainability is no longer a side initiative for consumer products companies — it's a compliance requirement, a cost center, and a competitive differentiator all at once. Between 2024 and 2026, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes have expanded across the UK, EU, and beyond, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) have moved from proposal to enforcement, and consumers are more skeptical — and more equipped — than ever to verify whether a brand's sustainability claims are real.

This course is built specifically for professionals in Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) who need to understand what "conscious consumption" actually means in practice — not as a marketing buzzword, but as an operating requirement that touches packaging design, supply chain sourcing, reporting obligations, and brand strategy.

You'll start by understanding conscious consumption through the lens of the triple bottom line — people, planet, and profit — and why this is now as much a B2B procurement consideration as a B2C purchasing one. From there, the course walks through Extended Producer Responsibility using real regulatory frameworks (UK and EU), showing exactly who is obligated, what counts as "packaging," and what businesses must report and pay. You'll then explore the Circular Economy in depth — the practical difference between lengthening, slowing, and closing the loop — grounded in the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan and its 2025–2026 enforcement mechanisms.

The course then turns to the people driving this shift: today's consumer. You'll examine how conscious spending has evolved, why supply chain traceability for critical minerals matters, how digital traceability tools (QR codes, digital watermarks, digital product passports) are reshaping consumer trust, and what the latest global consumer trend research reveals about who is actually paying a premium for sustainability — and who isn't.

You'll also learn how to apply the SASB/IFRS materiality framework to identify which ESG topics matter most for your specific product category, so your sustainability reporting is focused rather than generic. Finally, the course closes with an updated look at real companies putting these principles into practice — what's working, what's changed, and what hasn't held up under scrutiny since 2024.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Define conscious consumption and apply the triple bottom line framework to real business decisions

• Understand what your organization is obligated to do under current EPR packaging regulations

• Explain the circular economy model and identify where your product or packaging can close the loop

• Interpret current consumer behaviour research to anticipate shifts in sustainable purchasing

• Evaluate supply chain transparency and traceability tools used to build consumer trust

• Apply SASB/IFRS materiality analysis to your industry category for ESG reporting

• Learn from real-world leaders — and their setbacks — in conscious consumption

No prior ESG or sustainability knowledge is required. This course is designed for supply chain, marketing, product, compliance, and sustainability professionals in the retail and consumer products industry — as well as anyone with a general interest in ESG who wants a grounded, practical understanding of how sustainability actually operates inside a CPG business today.