The principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has been a policy paradigm behind the development of waste policies in the European Union including the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC). This study compares and explains the environmental effectiveness of the ELV programmes in the United Kingdom and in Sweden between 1990 and 2005, using a framework that integrates the Dutch approach to policy network analysis (PNA) with a theory-based evaluation (TBE). It finds that: (1) the perception of the producers towards EPR can be influenced largely by their social interaction with other actors, (2) the announcement of policies, and (3) the cohesion of policy instruments are key factors affecting the effectiveness of the programmes. As the latter two depend on the determination and comprehension of national governments, the transposition of the EU EPR Directives might not automatically lead to effective implementation and intended outcomes unless the Member States adhere to the principle and the development of its intervention theory.