Equipment manufacturer, importer or seller
If your company is a manufacturer, importer of electrical and electronic equipment or sells products under its own brand or at a distance in Finland, your company is liable for producer liability.
Producers of electrical and electronic equipment are bound by the producer responsibility defined by law, according to which producers have a responsibility to take care of their products at the end of their life cycle, ie to arrange for the possible reuse, recycling and waste management of the products.
Producer is:
- a manufacturer of electrical and electronic equipment,
- a professional importer,
- a seller who sells equipment under his own brand, or
- an operator who is established in another Member State of the European Union or in a third country and sells electrical and electronic equipment directly to users in Finland at a distance.
The producer must inform the distributor, upon delivery of the product, that the producer has fulfilled his producer responsibility obligations. The distributor, and any other undertaking or public contracting entity, which purchases electrical and electronic equipment for its use, must also ensure that the producer has fulfilled its producer responsibility obligations.
Electrical and electronic equipment subject to producer responsibility
Electrical and electronic equipment is any equipment that is powered by electricity, a battery, or solar energy. All lamps, with the exception of incandescent and halogen lamps, are also considered to be electrical and electronic equipment. Depending on their intended use, electrical and electronic equipment subject to producer responsibility is classified as B2C or B2B equipment and more specific equipment categories. Read more: B2C and B2B Definition and Product Categories
Exeptions
The following devices are not subject to producer responsibility:
• Weapons, ammunition and munitions for military purposes and other equipment related to the control of the essential security interests of the country
• devices which are specially designed and installed as part of another device to which the Directive does not apply and which function as intended only as part of that device
• Light bulbs
• Equipment designed to be sent into space
• Large fixed industrial machines
• Large fixed installations, with the exception of equipment not specifically designed and installed as part of such equipment;
• Means of transport for persons or goods, with the exception of electric two-wheel vehicles not type-approved
• Mobile machinery intended for professional use only and not intended for road use
• Equipment specially designed for research and development and made available for business use only
• In vitro diagnostic and other healthcare devices that are expected to become infectious before the end of the device’s life, as well as active implantable healthcare devices.