This article analyzes the core aspect of EPR±the creation of design incentives±today, twenty years since the emergence of the concept. During these twenty years, environmental law- and policy-making has evolved into a more deliberative process that involves multiple levels of governance and networks of stake- holders in fully globalized markets. The article argues tat despite the radical changes, the tenet of creating esign incentives through EPR can hold. The article aalyses the issue of EPR with regard to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). EEE is perhaps the most prominent area where EPR is being applied today, and the leading piece of legislation in the field, the WEEE Directive of the European Union, has just been comprehensively recast. The analysis will not only offer insights on EPR and its evolution; it also serves more generally as a case for portraying the challenges facing second generation environmental law and policy tools in greening the global economy