Consultant, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – The CIRCLE Alliance

WHO WE ARE

Resonance is a global consulting firm that delivers market-based solutions to address the world’s toughest challenges. 

We work with changemakers in the private sector and the international development community to solve wicked problems and promote market opportunity. We specialize in the development of partnerships, innovation, sustainable business models, and impact finance that drive impactful results. 

Across our work, we integrate diverse voices and perspectives. We promote collaboration across sectors and up and down the chain—from the field to the boardroom. Throughout, we translate client ambition into action and impact on the ground. 

Consultant Mandate

The CIRCLE Alliance: Catalyzing Inclusive, Resilient, and Circular Local Economies is a public-private initiative to reduce plastic use and tackle plastic waste. Founded by Unilever, USAID, and Ernst and Young (EY), its aim is to support women entrepreneurs, improve livelihoods, and protect the environment by accelerating the development of circular economies. The project operates in four countries: Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. CIRCLE will build on the successful approaches developed as part of impact enterprise accelerator TRANSFORM and by implemented activities under USAID’s Save Our Seas Initiative. CIRCLE will work across three key implementation stages: promoting a circular economy for plastics through grants funding and business consulting to social enterprises, supporting effective and transparent mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies and implementation, and advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. 

The CIRCLE Alliance is seeking a consultant to serve as the EPR Advisor in a short-term capacity with a focus on generating in-depth, country-level insights, and recommendations on the plastic policy ecosystem in each of the four CIRCLE countries (Landscape assessments of EPR are in progress in each of the four CIRCLE countries). The consultant will use findings and recommendations from these assessments, as well as their own expertise in the subject, to recommend activities for the project’s EPR workstream. EPR policy development and implementation require involvement of private sector and other key stakeholders, therefore the consultant will engage and convene different stakeholders. The consultant will also support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and social enterprises (SEs) receiving grants under the program to be compliant with their in-country EPR policies. 

This is a consultant position. The consultant will work closely with CIRCLE Alliance members Unilever, EY, and USAID, as well as Resonance to ensure alignment with programmatic goals and EPR workstream mandates. This consultancy may require domestic and international travel on short notice.

Outcomes and Essential Functions 

This consultant will have a set of deliverables and timelines for activities. Below are functions that the consultant will engage in. A final consultant scope will be included as part of the consultant agreement. 

• Inform the design and advancement of mandatory EPR schemes, advocating for transparency of the flows of money and materials, and creating a system that incentivizes industry, citizens, and SMEs to keep plastic out of the environment.
• Use EPR assessment findings and recommendations to design overall Alliance and country-level strategies that can be integrated into CIRCLE’s enterprise support activities, as well as specific stand-alone activities supporting mandatory EPR policies.
• Design and draft country-level EPR strategies that include specific solutions for integrating EPR into technical assistance support and/or training for SMEs and/or SEs that receive grant funding from the Alliance.
• Develop localized workshop curriculum on EPR for small and medium sized businesses.
• Engage local USAID, Unilever, and EY teams to inform the EPR workstream design, and involve other corporates in policy analysis and development.
• Ensure that EPR engagement continually moves toward an effective mandatory EPR policy and regulations that can be sustained after the CIRCLE Alliance’s intervention.

Timing: TBD during negotiations with consultant and CIRCLE Alliance 

Duration: ~6-months with opportunity for extension(s) 

Required Education & Experience 

• Master’s degree in international development, natural resource management, supply chains, material sciences, business, public policy, or other applicable disciplines; or a bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues ESG, environmental policy or resource management.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working on market research, development projects, or government sponsored work related to development or implementation of EPR policies.
• Proven experience working in one or more of the following technical areas: product or packaging design, sustainable manufacturing, plastics, recycling, material buy back policies, reuse and refill schemes or experience working on EPR government regulations.
• Demonstrated track record of market research and strategy surrounding sustainability.
• Experience working with US government or donor entities; or private sector clients.
• Prior geographic experience in South and Southeast Asia
• Fluent in English

Preferred Education & Experience 

• Development experience working in any of the CIRCLE Alliance countries: India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam
• Prior public-private partnership experience
• Experience designing and leading workshops and training on EPR policy and compliance.
• Prior experience implementing projects in waste management and recycling sector

Travel Expectations

The contractor may be requested to travel domestically and/or internationally for work assignments. 

Salary Range

Commensurate with experience. 

Code of Conduct for Resonance Business Partners

The Consultant’s performance will be in compliance with Resonance Code of Conduct.

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