Producers take care of their products also at the end of the products life circle
Producer responsibility refers to the producer’s obligation to take care of the products he places on the market also at the end of their life cycle, ie to organize the re-use, recycling and waste management of the products. Producer responsibility applies, among other things, to manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries and accumulators. Other products subject to producer responsibility include: cars, tires, paper products, packaging, sigle-use plastic products (SUP) and fishing gear containing plastic. The recycling and waste management of products covered by producer responsibility is free of charge for consumers, and a nationwide collection network has been set up for the products.
Producer responsibility is a legal obligation
Producer responsibility is a statutory obligation for producers, laid down jointly in the EU and in national waste legislation. In Finland, producer responsibility is regulated by the Waste Act and product-specific regulations supplementing it. Collection and recycling targets have been set for products subject to producer responsibility, which are monitored annually. Producer organizations report the quantities of equipment placed on the market, as well as the quantities of decommissioned equipment, to the supervisory authority, the Pirkanmaa ELY Center, which in turn reports the national data to the European Commission.
The Pirkanmaa ELY Center may impose a non-compliance fee on a producer who has not made an application to the producer register or joined a producer association or sent monitoring information in accordance with section 54 of the Waste Act to the Pirkanmaa ELY Center.
Producer organization
The easiest way to fulfill a producer responsibility is to join a producer organization. Through Elker, the producer is able to meet its statutory producer responsibility obligations for electrical and electronic equipment and lamps. By joining one of the three POs, you can take care of producer responsibility for all electrical equipment, both for consumer and business products. Read more: Take care of producer responsibility by joining a producer organization
ICT Producer Co-operative -TY is an association for producers of electric and electronic equipment
SELT association is a producer organization for producers of electric and electronic equipment
Flip ry is a producer association for lamp producers
The producer of batteries and accumulators must become a member of Recser Oy:n and the producer of lead-acid batteries Akkukierrätys Pb Oy.
Distance Seller Producer Responsibility
Producer responsibility also applies to electrical and electronic equipment sold directly to the end user in another EU country, i.e. EU distance selling. Producer responsibility obligations are handled in accordance with the laws of the destination country. If a foreign company authorizes Elker as its representative for electrical and electronic equipment, it is also possible for Elker to authorize it for portable batteries and accumulators and lead-acid batteries. Read more: Authorized Representation and European Cooperation