Extended Producer Responsibility

Producer responsibility applies to approximately 50,000 Finnish manufacturers, importers and packers as well as distance sellers.

 

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Who is subject to Extended Producer Responsibility?

On this page you will find information on who subject to Extended Producer Responsibility. 

  • What products are covered by Extended Producer Responsibility? 
  • What is considered as professional activity? 
  • Check whether the company has met its Extended Producer Responsibility obligations 

Every company has a responsibility to act for the environment and to promote circular economy. The company is responsible for the whole life cycle of the product.  

Manufacturers, importers, distance sellers and packers of certain products are responsible for the management of waste from the products they place on the market. This makes recycling efficient and easy. 

The chatbot allows you to check whether your company is subject to Extended Producer Responsibility. The Chatbot opens in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. 

Keskellä kuvaa pyykinpesukone, auton rengas, patteri ja limutölkki.

Extended Producer Responsibility applies to these products:

  • The extended producer responsibility applies to all batteries and accumulators. Businesses with producer responsibility include:

    1. Importers, manufacturers and distance sellers of batteries and accumulators
    2. Importers, manufacturers and distance sellers of new and used vehicles, electrical and electronic equipment and other products containing batteries and accumulators.

    The extended  producer responsibility for batteries and accumulators is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on Batteries and Accumulators (2014). The easiest way to manage extended  producer responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation. There are various producer organisations according to battery category and type.

     

    Portable batteries

    Portable batteries are closed and easy to carry. They include e.g. button cell batteries, finger batteries (such as AA and AAA batteries), and other batteries and accumulators used by consumers or professionals in electrical and electronic equipment.

    The easiest way to manage extended producer responsibility is to join a producer organisation for portable batteries and accumulators:

    SLI batteries and accumulators

    SLI batteries are used for vehicle starting, lighting and ignition. Typically a SLI battery is a lead battery, but for example in mopeds, motorcycles, ATVs, scooters and ride-on mowers also lithium batteries can be used.

    Please note that electric and hybrid vehicles have a second battery in addition to the starting battery to provide electric power for traction. The electric vehicle battery is typically a lithium-ion or nickel-metal hybrid battery and is classified as an industrial battery (see Industrial batteries). 

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation:

    Industrial batteries and accumulators 

    Industrial batteries and accumulators are used in equipment designed for industrial or professional use and in electric vehicles. They are used, for example, in the following products: back-up or emergency power systems, hand-held payment terminals, bar code readers, video equipment for television channels and professional studios, helmet lamps for miners and professional divers, electrical doors, measuring instruments, solar panels, photovoltaic applications and other renewable energy applications. Industrial batteries and accumulators are also used in electric vehicles such as electric and hybrid cars and electric wheelchairs, bikes, kickboards, scooters and motorcycles. 

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation for industrial batteries and accumulators:

    Companies which import, manufacture or distance sell large industrial batteries can join Recser Oy, which manages the statutory registration and reporting obligations on its members’ behalf. However, the producer is responsible for organising the collection and waste management procedures in accordance with the Waste Act. 

    There is no separate producer organisation for the electric motorcycle batteries. The company handles producer responsibility by setting up a producer organisation together with other producers. In this case, a producer organisation must submit an application to the producer register of the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre. In exceptional cases, the company may apply directly to the producer register, provided that it organises the collection, recycling and other waste management of the products and meets the collection, recycling and recovery targets. In addition, the company must draw up a self-monitoring plan, report the collection and processing data annually to the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre, and make the data publicly available.

    Only in exceptional cases can a company apply directly to the producer register if it organises the collection, recycling and other waste management of products and meets the collection, recycling and recovery targets set out in the Regulation. In addition, the company must draw up a self-monitoring plan, report collection and treatment data annually to the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre and publish the data on a public information network. 

  • Producer responsibility concerns passenger cars, vans and recreational vehicles. Producer responsibility applies to businesses operating in Finland that commercially import new or used cars and businesses that import cars on behalf of Finnish residents. Producer responsibility also applies to distance sellers. 

    Producer responsibility for vehicles is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decrees on end-of-life vehicles and on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in vehicles (2015).  

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation: 

  • Almost all products include packaging which comes under producer responsibility. Waste management's producer responsibility applies to all professionally operating companies that put packaging on the market. In addition, producer responsibility applies to the manufacturers and importers of the so-called service and farmer packaging. 

    Producer responsibility for packaging applies to the following operators who professionally deliver packaging to the Finnish market: 

    • packers, i.e. companies that pack or package their products for the Finnish market (excluding service and farmer packaging), 
    • importers, i.e. companies that import packaged products to Finland, 
    • distance sellers, i.e. foreign companies that sell remotely packaged products directly to Finnish users, 
    • manufacturers of service or farmer packaging, i.e. companies that manufacture said packaging for the Finnish market and 
    • importers of service or farmer packaging, i.e. companies that bring said packaging to the Finnish market. 
       

     Such businesses carry producer responsibility for the following materials: 

    • carton, board and paper 
    • glass 
    • metal 
    • plastic 
    • wood 
       

    Packages are single-use or reusable products that are used to store or protect a substance or object, to facilitate its display or to enable its handling or transportation. In addition to sales packaging, packaging also includes group and transport packaging. 

    Service packaging is packaging that is used at the point of sale to pack food and other products directly for the consumer. These include e.g. carrier bags, packaging for takeaway portions and other packaging used in service operations. 

    Farmer's packages are packages that are used to package unprocessed agricultural and horticultural products that are sold off the farm. 

    The producer responsibility for packaging materials is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on packaging materials and waste (2014).  

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join the sector-specific producer organisation via service company Rinki Oy. 


    Pakkausalan tuottajayhteisöt: 

    Extended Producer Responsibility for beverage packaging (see the following section) can be managed by joining the deposit and return scheme for beverage packaging. Non-deposit beverage packaging not covered by the return scheme is subject to a tax on beverage packaging, and producer responsibility in this area can be managed by joining the producer organisation. 

    Producers of certain single-use plastic packaging are also responsible for clean-up costs. This means that producers pay municipalities for the costs of cleaning up litter caused by their products and for litter prevention.

     For more information on cleaning cost liability, see 

  • Like other packaging materials, beverage packaging is also subject to producer responsibility. If the products come under the deposit and return scheme for beverage packaging, producer responsibility does not have to be addressed separately, and the products are not subject to a tax on beverage packaging. Beverage packaging that does not come under the return scheme, and the producer’s other packaging, are subject to the normal producer responsibility. 

    No tax is payable on beverage packaging if: 

    • The packer or importer of the product has joined a deposit and return scheme for beverage packaging 
    • The product in question has been approved for the scheme, and 
    • The return scheme has been approved to the producer register maintained by the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre. 

     The return schemes for beverage packaging are regulated by the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on return schemes for certain types of beverage packaging (2013). Taxation is regulated by the Act on Excise Tax on Certain Beverage Packages (2004). The deposit of beverage packaging must be at least: 

    • EUR 0.15 for metal drink cans 
    • EUR 0.20 for plastic packaging with a capacity above 0.35 litres but less than 1 litre 
    • EUR 0.40 for plastic packaging of 1 litre and above 
    • EUR 0.10 for other beverage packages 

     The packer or importer of beverages may join an existing deposit and return scheme or set up a new scheme and apply for its registration to the producer register. For details on which types of beverage packaging are suitable for deposit and return schemes, and on memberships, see the websites of approved schemes that are accepting new members: 

  • Producer responsibility applies to professional importers of paper products and to manufacturers and importers of paper that is used in the manufacture of paper products. It applies to e.g. the following products: 

    • Newspapers and magazines 
    • Office paper, note pads, journals, envelopes and postcards 
    • Commercial catalogues and direct mail publications 

     Products that do not come under producer responsibility include e.g. tissue paper, books, calendars, and instructions for use or assembly which are supplied with products. Producer responsibility for paper is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on the separate collection and recycling of paper waste (2013). 

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join one of the sector-specific producer organisations: 

  • Tyre producers include commercial tyre manufacturers, importers and retreaders. Importers of new and used vehicles and machines that are fitted with tyres are also tyre producers. Only tyres, not wheels, are covered by producer responsibility. Producer responsibility applies to the tyres of the following vehicles and machines: 

    • Cars, vans and lorries 
    • Mopeds, motorcycles, scooters, quad bikes and quadricycles 
    • Caravans and trailers 
    • Non-road mobile machinery 
       

     Producer responsibility does NOT apply to the following tyres: 

    • Tyres of bicycles and bicycle trailers 
    • Tyres of wheelbarrows, golf carts, rollators and wheelchairs 
    • Tyres of push lawnmowers 
    • Aircraft tyres 
       

    Producer responsibility for tyres is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on the separate collection and recovery of decommissioned tyres (2013).  

    The easiest way to manage producer responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation:   

  • Producer responsibility applies to all electrical and electronic equipment intended for consumers or for professional use unless a separate derogation is set. Producers are: 

    • Manufacturers and importers 
    • Traders selling equipment under their own name or trademark and
    • Distance sellers. 

    The easiest way to manage Extended Producer Responsibility is to join your sector’s producer organisation: 

    Because a large collection network is required (450 collection points, 1 in each local municipality, an individual producer of consumer equipment can only assume producer responsibility by joining the sector-specific producer organisation:  

    If the company only places equipment intended for professional use (B-to-B) on the Finnish market, it can in exceptional cases apply directly for the producer register. In this case, the company must organise the collection, recycling and other waste management of the equipment and meet the collection, recycling and recovery targets of the Government Decree as well as other Extended Producer Responsibility obligations. 

    Distance sellers who sell electrical and electronic equipment directly to end-users (private individuals or businesses) in another EU country must appoint an authorised representative in each country of destination. The authorised representative assumes producer responsibility in the country in question in accordance with the legislation of that country. Distance sellers of electrical and electronic equipment established in another EU country must therefore appoint an authorised representative in Finland, while Finnish distance sellers of electrical and electronic equipment must appoint an authorised representative in other EU countries. 

    The Extended Producer Responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree on electrical and electronic equipment waste (2014). 

  • Extended Producer Responsibility applies to producers of certain single-use plastic (SUP) products, i.e. manufacturers, importers and packers. The SUP products covered by Extended Producer Responsibility are:  

    • cups for beverages  sold empty to the end-userand their caps and lids; 
    • wet wipes for personal hygiene and consumer use; 
    • balloons for consumer use, and 
    • tobacco products with filters. 
    • Certain single-use plastic packaging (SUP packaging) in accordance with Annex  of the Waste Act 
       

    The producers of these products are responsible for the cleaning costs. Producers pay municipalities for the costs of cleaning up litter caused by their products and for the prevention of littering.  

    In addition, the producers of tobacco products with filters are separately responsible for the costs incurred for municipalities for the acquisition of litter bins for tobacco waste and for the awareness raising measures concerning littering caused by tobacco products and tobacco waste. 

    The easiest way to manage Extended Producer Responsibility of SUP packaging is to join a producer organization through the service company Rinki Oy.

    Producer organisations in the packaging sector: 

    A producer organisation for tobacco products with filters, wet wipes and balloons is being set up and the application for a producer organisation is pending.  

    Extended Producer Responsibility is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree 1318/2022 and the Government Decree 1320/2022 ( the Government Decree is available only in Finnish and Swedish.) 

    A distance seller selling SUP products directly to an end-user (individual or business) in another EU country must appoint an authorised representative established in that EU country. The authorised representative will assume Extended Producer Responsibility in that country in accordance with the legislation of that country. Distance sellers of SUP products established in another EU country must therefore appoint an authorised representative in Finland, while Finnish distance sellers of SUP products must appoint an authorised representative in other EU countries. 

  • Extended Producer Responsibility applies to manufacturers, importers and distance sellers of fishing gear containing plastic.  

    Fishing gear means any item or piece of equipment that is used in fishing or aquaculture to target, capture or rear marine biological resources or that is floating on the sea surface, and is deployed with the objective of attracting and capturing or of rearing such marine biological resources. The definition of fishing gear excludes electrical and electronic equipment included in fishing gear. Fishing gear waste means fishing gear including all separate components, substances or materials that were part of or attached to such fishing gear when it was discarded. Examples of waste include lost and abandoned fishing gear.   

    A producer organisation for plastic fishing gear is being set up during 2024 and the application for a producer organisation is pending.  

    Extended Producer Responsibility is based on the Waste Act (2011) and the Government Decree 1319/2022 ( the Government Decree is available only in Finnish and Swedish.)


What is considered as professional activity?  

Extended Producer Responsibility applies to producers who place products on the Finnish market on a professional basis. Producers include manufacturers, importers and packers of products, as well as distance sellers selling directly to users. 

Especially small businesses may wonder what professional activity means. An activity is not considered professional if the entrepreneur established in Finland is not liable for VAT. Currently, the turnover threshold for VAT liability is €15 000 per year. If the trader does not have a VAT identification number, the activity is not considered professional. 

For packaging, there is no minimum number of kilograms of packaging to which professionalism applies. A packer is considered to be a professional if they are subject to VAT. 


Check whether the company has met its Extended Producer Responsibility obligations  

Extended Producer Responsibility for waste management applies to around 50 000 manufacturers, importers and packers, as well as international distance sellers. The majority of companies fulfil their Extended Producer Responsibility as required by law. It is fair that all companies with Extended Producer Responsibility share the costs of waste management equally. 

Are you wondering whether a company is meeting their Extended Producer Responsibility obligations? Check through this link: 

Are you wondering whether a company is meeting their Extended Producer Responsibility obligations? Check through this link:   

The Waste Management Compass allows you to check whether a company has met their Extended Producer Responsibility obligations by joining a producer organisation. You can also see which product groups are included.  

The Waste Management Compass information service is maintained by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE).  The information in the Waste Management Compass is based on the producer register maintained by the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre. 

To search the Waste Management Compass, please use the company's business ID number or the corresponding VAT number, as these codes identify the company. In addition to the official name, the same business ID may have several secondary names, which may not necessarily appear in the Waste Management Compass. You can check the company's business ID and any auxiliary names in the Business Information System maintained by the Finnish Patents and Registration Office and the Finnish Tax Administration at ytj.fi/en. 

Myös eri tuottajayhteisöjen (tuottajayhteiso.fi) jäsenlistoilta voi tarkistaa, onko yritys tuottajayhteisön jäsen.  

ely-updated 02.05.2024