Extended Producer Responsibility and the Evolution of Sustainable Specializations: Evidences From the e-Waste Sector

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach that could potentially have a positive impact on different determinants of the business environment, including scientific production. Despite that, direct and indirect impacts on those national research environments where EPR is not directly implemented are under-represented in the current literature. Based on a dataset of 411 papers related to e-waste published in the period between 2001 and 2011, our study explores the research dynamics of the e-waste literature and presents a map of the main areas of interest. Two representations of the geographical time frames of research depict the on-going reshaping of worldwide technical specializations and inform policy makers on the evolution of regional needs and competences. The conclusions highlight the importance of worldwide impact assessments of EPR in order to achieve both industrial and environmental goals.