Legislation and policies on extended producer responsibility

The Waste Act (646/2011) states that companies which are obligated by the extended producer responsibility must take care of the waste management of the products they have placed on the market when these products are discarded as waste. Extended producer responsibility ensures that the recycling and waste management of discarded products is free of charge for consumers. Extended producer responsibility encompasses product manufacturers, importers, distance sellers, and packers.

In addition to the Waste Act, extended producer responsibility is regulated by EU regulations, which are binding and apply in all EU countries in all respects. Some other Finnish regulations also apply to product responsibility.

As the authority supervising extended producer responsibility, the Finnish Supervisory Agency has issued guidelines and instructions on the authority’s interpretation of ambiguous regulations. The website is regularly updated.