Published on 20. October 2022
Updated on 9. March 2023
International
EPR
Reading time: 3 Minutes, 20 Seconds
A new regulation on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging sets higher standards in Swedish waste management. For international companies operating in the Swedish market, the following innovations are of particular interest:
RecycleMe provides reliable information about European legislative changes.
Sweden is much more than IKEA, Volvo, or Abba: Sweden is one of the most innovative economies in the world. The Scandinavian country ranked second in the Global Innovation Index of 2021. Only Switzerland was rated as more progressive last year. Germany only reached 10th place. But what do the Swedes do differently from us?
If one looks at more recent political decisions, the “National Innovation Council” stands out in particular. It was initiated in 2015 by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. The objective: to promote innovation through collaboration between government, universities, and companies. Since December 2021, the Council’s ideas and projects have been incorporated into the regular activities of the government. Innovation is firmly established in Sweden not only in people’s minds, but also in government.
As an economic innovation driver, Sweden also wants to meet European standards in the packaging industry and waste management. A new Swedish regulation on producer responsibility for packaging was therefore published at the beginning of July. When foreign companies import their products into the Swedish scope or sell their products to Swedish consumers, the new Swedish Producer Responsibility Regulation for Packaging also applies to these companies. So, looking to Sweden is not only worthwhile for those who want to be inspired by innovative Swedish business models.
The new regulation (2022:1274) replaces the regulation of the same name of 18 July 2018 (2018:1462) and the regulation on return systems for plastic bottles and metal cans of 5 April 2005 (2005:220) but combines them in a single legislative text and retains essential elements of both regulations (definitions, targets, evaluation of packaging types, packaging design, etc.).
The new regulation mainly refers to the following points:
Of particular interest to companies with international operations:
What exactly is “EPR”? Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been in effect in the EU for years. However, their interpretation differs in the various member states. EPR states that manufacturing companies are responsible for the entire life cycle of their products. From the design to the disposal and recycling. The company is responsible not only for the product itself, but also for all the packaging that goes with it. Even though end users are responsible for the actual disposal, manufacturers are obliged to ensure the correct recycling process. In practice, they hand over this responsibility to PROs as described above.
Extended producer responsibility thus contributes directly to a sustainable circular economy. Both products and packaging can be reused or at least recycled after use.
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