Another relatively recent innovation in environmental regulation, which often originates from European Directives, is known as producer responsibility law. Through producer responsibility regulations, businesses are being made accountable for more of the true environmental cost of their products throughout their life cycle (see waste minimisation).
This approach to companies’ environmental responsibilities is being introduced in specific product areas, such as packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and motor vehicles (see waste management).
The relevant regulations work in different ways, but the objective is that the producer or importer of a product will have to be responsible (including financially responsible) for that product throughout its lifecycle, not just during manufacture.