Packaging producer responsibility expands to companies of all sizes – Does your company have producer responsibility?
The definitions of packaging producer responsibility change in the beginning of 2024. Find out if your company has producer responsibility and how to join a packaging sector producer organisation!
Packaging producer responsibility concerns companies of all sizes from the beginning of 2024. Previously in Finland producer responsibility concerned only companies with a turnover of at least one million euros. Removing the turnover threshold means that approximately 30 000 companies, previously outside the scope of producer responsibility, must now participate in the costs of recycling the packaging of the products they have put on the market.
Who is a packaging producer?
Producer responsibility for packaging concerns companies that pack in Finland, import packed products or distance sell products to users in Finland. A company is responsible for its packaging even when packing or logistics has been outsourced to another operator.
In 2024 the definition of a packaging producer changes for so-called service and grower packaging. In the future, the producer for such packaging is the manufacturer or importer instead of the filler of the packaging.
For example, the producer of a take-away coffee cup bought in a café, or a paper bag bought for new jeans in a clothes store is the manufacturer or importer, if the business using them is not also the manufacturer or importer. With the new definition, producer responsibility is alleviated for those using service and grower packaging, which are often the small businesses.
Check here if producer responsibility concerns your company!
What does packaging producer responsibility mean?
Producer responsibility means that a company has responsibility for the entire lifecycle of the packaging of the products it has placed on the market.
Producer responsibility is a legal obligation for companies and its implementation is monitored by the supervisory authority Pirkamaa ELY Centre.
The purpose of producer responsibility is to steer companies to design packaging that is easier to recycle and that contain less materials or more environmentally friendly materials.
The Packaging Waste Act defines for each packaging material designated recycling targets and reaching these targets is a joint effort between companies and producer organisations!
How to take care of packaging producer responsibility?
Producer responsibility is taken care of by joining a producer organisation whereupon producer responsibility is transferred to a producer organisation. There are two producer organisations in the packaging sector: Sumi Oy and Finnish Packaging Producers Ltd.
RINKI takes care, on behalf of the producer organisations, of collecting packaging data, organising the ecopoint network for consumer packaging waste and providing sorting advice to consumers.
A producer organisation is joined by signing a contract with the chosen producer organisation. It is now even easier to sign a contract because it can swiftly be done on Rinki’s webpage.
Is the turnover of your company less than a million? Do you pack or import packed products to the Finnish market? Join a producer organisation!
Join a producer organisation!
There are two producer organisations in the packaging sector: Sumi Oy and Finnish Packaging Producers Ltd.
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