Kenya automates EPR permits for packaging importers

KENYA – The National Environment Management Authority and Kenya Trade Network Agency have automated the Extended Producer Responsibility permit process from 28 September 2026, removing manual intervention for importers of products and packaging that eventually become waste.

The change concerns Extended Producer Responsibility and affects businesses importing products and packaging that eventually become waste in Kenya. 

Previously, officials were involved in manually enabling the Kenya Revenue Authority PIN before an importer could proceed with an EPR certificate application. 

From 28 September, that intervention has been removed, with importers able to have their KRA PINs opted in directly through the Single Window System, also known as the Trade Facilitation Platform. 

NEMA and KenTrade said the change should provide round-the-clock availability while reducing delays caused by manual processing.

EPR Shifts Post-Consumer Responsibility to Producers and Importers

Extended Producer Responsibility shifts some of the cost and responsibility for products after their useful life back to the businesses that put them into the market. 

The principle holds that responsibility does not end when a manufacturer or importer sells a product. 

Packaging, plastics, electronics and other materials eventually become waste, and under an EPR system, producers and importers can be required to participate in collection, recycling, recovery or environmentally responsible disposal systems. 

For importers, environmental compliance increasingly becomes part of the customs and trade process rather than an issue dealt with only after goods enter the country.

Compliance Becomes Embedded in Customs and Trade Process

The automation is significant for clearing agents as well. Businesses that discover compliance problems only when cargo reaches a port or customs facility risk delays and additional costs. 

Automating the process could reduce one source of administrative delay, but it also makes electronic compliance easier for authorities to track. 

Kenya has been tightening its waste-management regime as it confronts rapidly growing volumes of plastic packaging, electronic waste and other discarded products, moving toward a circular economy in which manufacturers, importers, retailers, consumers and recyclers all carry some responsibility for what happens after use.

October Deadline Set for Customs Agent Licence Renewals

For businesses, another deadline is approaching. 

The Kenya Revenue Authority has told licensed customs agents to submit applications for renewal of their 2027 licences through the Integrated Customs Management System by 31 October, according to a published notice reported alongside the NEMA changes. 

Current licences generally expire at the end of December. For importers, the practical message is that environmental permits are becoming more deeply integrated with digital trade systems.

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