Author(s) :

Isabella Dolan.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws have been implemented in several countries as a policy response to the rapid growth of textile consumption and waste, yet textile EPR systems vary widely in design, governance, and transparency. This paper develops a structured comparative framework to examine how differences in policy structure influence implementation quality and reported outcomes across international textile EPR systems. While much of existing literature focuses on general EPR principles or country-specific case studies, this study provides a systematic cross-country comparison of textile EPR governance and performance. Using an author-created comparative policy analysis, this study develops an Implementation Quality Index (IQI) and an Outcomes Index (OI) to evaluate textile EPR systems in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, and Australia. This dual-index framework separates governance design and reported policy outcomes, recognizing that many textile EPR systems are either too recent or insufficiently transparent to support a reliable comparison based solely on performance data. The analysis focuses on five key design patterns: governance centralization, product scope breadth, eco-modulation strength, enforcement clarity, and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) transparency. Outcome indicators are assessed where sufficient public data is available. By evaluating implementation design and reported outcomes separately, the IQI and IO demonstrate that stronger results are associated with centralized governance, broad product scope, differentiated fee structures, clear enforcement mechanisms, and transparent reporting practices, which offers practical insights for policymakers designing or reforming textile EPR systems.