What is Producer Responsibility?
If you work in the production or sale of electronics, batteries, and/or packaging, you’ve probably heard the term “producer responsibility” at some point in your career. But what does producer responsibility really mean?
Let’s Dive into the Concept of Producer Responsibility in Detail
Producer responsibility means that those who introduce certain types of products to the market also have a responsibility to ensure that they are collected and recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.
However, it’s not just about ensuring proper recycling of products; it also involves how companies can facilitate the handling of electronic waste, batteries, and packaging. This can range from designing products with easily recyclable materials to educating consumers on proper recycling methods.
Which Products have Producer Responsibility?
Currently, there are ten categories with producer responsibility in Norway:
- Packaging
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Batteries
- Discarded cars & car tires
- Discarded leisure boats
- Construction waste
- Hazardous waste
- Rubber granules from artificial pitches
- Food waste and other wet organic waste
- Waste oil
Why was Producer Responsibility Established?
Producer responsibility was established because our society is a consumer society, generating significant waste due to constant consumption. To reduce the waste created by our consumption, regulations and laws are necessary.
The question then arises: Who should be responsible for recycling and managing all the waste produced? The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) summarizes it well on their website: “The purpose of responsibility is that those who contribute to an environmental problem should also contribute to the solutions.”
How long has Producer Responsibility Existed in Norway?
Extended producer responsibility has been a key environmental policy tool in Norway since the mid1990s. An important objective at the time was to promote environmentally friendly product design by imposing a responsibility on producers for their products when they are discarded as waste. In addition, extended producer responsibility aimed to ensure nationwide waste collection and to reduce the extent of littering, contribute to increased recycling of materials and to ensure that any handling of hazardous waste complied with regulations.
At Recipo, we work with companies that have producer responsibility in the categories of electrical equipment, batteries, and packaging across the Nordic region.
What are your Obligations as a Producer?
Do you fall under producer responsibility? Then let’s explain your obligations. In broad terms, your responsibilities as a producer include ensuring that you manage the waste generated by the products you introduce to the market. You need to connect to a nationally approved collection system, such as Recipo, which helps you meet the legal requirements.
Additionally, you must register with the Swedish EPA (Naturvårdsverket) to provide reports on your production and sales. If you select us as you collective system, we’ll help you with the registration (not if the company is Swedish registered) and to fulfill your producer responsibility’s in Sweden including the reporting to the Swedish EPA.
Other obligations vary depending on the specific producer responsibility category. Here you can read about the obligation for collecting products to be recycled if you are a producer of electronics and batteries. To read more about your responsibilities follow this link: “Laws and Regulations.”
Reception of EE-waste and Batteries
Here we explain in a little more detail how it works.
EE-waste
The retailer must return EE waste that is household waste free of charge in the shop premises or at a similar location in the immediate vicinity of this. The retailer must also accept EE waste that is commercial waste free of charge when purchasing a corresponding quantity of EE products.
The obligation to accept is limited to similar products that the retailer sells or has previously sold but is not limited to brands or makes. Similar products are products that belong to the same product range and have the same function as those sold at the time of consignment. The obligation to receive applies regardless of sales volume or sales period, and for one year after the last corresponding EE product has been sold.
For dealers with a sales area of more than 400 m2 For EE products, the obligation to accept also applies to all types of small electronics where the longest outer measurement is less than 25 cm, regardless of whether the retailer sells or has previously sold these products.
The retailer may refuse to accept EE waste that has been destroyed and thus may pose a health risk to personnel, such as broken light sources containing mercury. When EE products are sold or delivered outside store premises directly to private households in Norway, including in connection with online shopping, mail order sales or the like, the retailer must establish an efficient system for sending and receiving corresponding quantities of EE waste. The retailer must accept the EE-waste free of charge, but may charge for costs directly associated with the shipment of larger units of EE-waste. The price for shipment must not exceed the amount charged by the retailer when shipping the equivalent quantity of EE products sold. The retailer must offer a free return service for each sale of small electronics outside the store premises.
Batteries
Retailers must take back discarded loose batteries free of charge in a store or elsewhere in the immediate vicinity. The obligation is limited to the categories of batteries sold by the dealer, but is not limited to brand or make. The obligation to accept applies without the obligation to buy a new battery.
The dealer must ensure that loose discarded batteries that have been received are sorted from other waste and stored in a suitable place without risk to health, the environment or safety. Storage shall not reduce the possibility of treatment, including recycling, of the discarded batteries.
Recipo Promotes Sustainability Through Producer Responsibility
Now that we’ve answered the question “What is producer responsibility,” let us explain how we can assist you. At Recipo, we strive for a more sustainable circular economy by supporting companies in their producer responsibility.
We help you meet and exceed the requirements you have as producers, making it easier for you while contributing to a more sustainable consumer society. Become a customer today, and we’ll guide you the rest of the way!