______ is an environmental policy under which producers are given a significant responsibility - financial and/or physical - for the treatment or disposal of products that are no longer useful to the consumer.

Concept:

Environmental policy:

• It is a kind of measure or unit that is taken by a different kind of organization like government and private regarding a different kind of effect of human activities on the environment.
• This is majorly created for the prevention of human-made effects on the ecosystem.
• Different kinds of environmental policies are ecosystem management, waste management, natural resources protection, and biodiversity conservation.

Explanation:

Extended Producer Responsibility:

• This policy's concept was first introduced by the Swedish Ministry of Environment in 1990.
• Today's world is facing an increasing amount of waste and its effect on the environment.
• Different governments around the world are trying to control this problem with the post-consumer phase by environmental policy.
• The correct answer is Extended Producer Responsibility.
• EPR refers to an environmental policy that sees producers responsible for the safe disposal of their products.
• It is the responsibility, that the waste generated during the production processes should be taken care of in a proper way, from an environmental and resource-saving point of view.
• Before the manufacturing of a product is commenced it should be known how the waste, which is a result of the production process, should be treated, as well as how the product should be taken care of when discarded.
• The ultimate goal of EPR is sustainable development through environmentally responsible product development and product recovery.
• Its main objective is to divert and reduce waste.
• Here producers of a product take full responsibility for their products' whole lifecycle including recycling, reuse, final disposal, and packaging.

Thus, extended producer responsibility is an environmental policy under which producers are given a significant responsibility - financial and/or physical - for the treatment or disposal of products that are no longer useful to the consumer.