EPR in Sweden: The amendments to 2024 at a glance
With the new amendments to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulation, Sweden is clearly demonstrating how producer responsibility can be comprehensively implemented. The Swedish government has decided to make fundamental changes to the EPR regulation for packaging, which have been fully effective since 2024. The changes to the law affect a wide range of stakeholders. Why all this? Sweden is pursuing a major goal: recycling is to be made easier and more efficient in order to save raw materials and reduce CO2 emissions.
The amendments not only place obligations on distributors of packaging, but also redistribute roles and responsibilities and affect municipalities, producers, producer responsibility organisations (PROs) and deposit systems. We look at the changes in detail:
This is what the changes mean for producers and producer responsibility organisations
All manufacturers of packaging are obliged to join or establish a recognised Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). The activities of these organisations must be approved by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.Producers must also register with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and participate in a take-back system.
What the changes mean for municipalities and local authorities
Since 1 January 2024, municipalities and local authorities have assumed operational responsibility for the collection of packaging waste from households and selected businesses. They play a key role in providing information on preventive measures and the correct sorting of packaging waste. By 1 January 2027 at the latest, all municipalities must introduce a door-to-door collection system for packaging waste. Collection will be based on material types such as paper, plastic, metal and glass. In addition, bulky packaging waste and materials such as wood, ceramics and textiles must be collected at accessible collection points or municipal recycling centres.
This is what the changes mean for deposit systems
The updated regulation also includes provisions for deposit systems as applied to bottles and cans. Responsibility for these systems has been transferred from the Swedish Board of Agriculture to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency from 1 January 2023. Existing systems can retain their approval until 1 January 2027, after which they will be reassessed in accordance with the new guidelines.
EPR in Sweden: Far-reaching commitment
These extensive changes emphasise Sweden’s commitment to environmental protection and recycling. For companies that sell products to end customers in Sweden, it is crucial to be aware of the new responsibilities and act accordingly.
The EPR Sweden 2024 regulation represents not only a change, but also a significant step in terms of packaging responsibility that will contribute significantly to reducing the environmental impact.
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EPR systems for packaging in comparison: a country overview
In the EU, retailers and manufacturers who place products on the market are subject to certain environmental responsibilities. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a way of obliging companies to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products. This includes not only the product itself, but also all packaging and (product) components put into circulation that are disposed of by end consumers. The exact areas covered by the EPR vary from country to country. In this article, we take a look at the EPR in the area of packaging and shed light on what exactly the requirements mean, how they are implemented in practice and how the requirements differ from country to country within the EU.
When will Italy introduce the single-use plastic tax?
The introduction of the single-use plastic tax in Italy was originally planned for July 2020. It has now been postponed for the sixth time and is due to come into force on 1 July 2024. The tax aims to tax single-use packaging and plastic products. In this article, we explain what legal changes retailers can expect for their shipments to Italy as a result of the introduction of the tax.
EPR obligations in Poland: volume threshold and registration obligation
Since 13 June 2013, the handling of packaging waste in Poland has been regulated by the Act on Packaging and Packaging Waste Management (Journal of Laws 2019.542). Among other things, it sets out requirements for packaging, the handling of packaging waste and regulations regarding recycling fees. This means that companies in Poland are subject to extended producer responsibility (EPR). The EPR regulations are intended to ensure that companies take responsibility for the disposal of their packaging and thus contribute to the promotion of the circular economy. The EPR entails obligations regarding the handling of a company’s own products and packaging. In the following article, we shed light on what you need to consider as a retailer on the Polish market.