Helena Nylén in meeting with EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall

On Tuesday, Helena Nylén, CEO of Näringslivets Producentansvar, met with EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall to discuss producer responsibility, policy instruments, and the conditions needed to increase recycling in the EU. The meeting was characterized by open and constructive dialogue.

“The Commissioner was well-prepared and genuinely interested in the challenges within the system, and it was a very good discussion,” says Helena Nylén.

During the meeting, Helena highlighted several key points:

• Long-term rules of the game for investment

Achieving EU recycling targets requires significant investments in collection, sorting, and recycling capacity. However, the current situation – where producer responsibility organizations in several countries mainly compete on price – creates short-termism and discourages investment. Helena also warned about the risk that “price competition at any cost” may incentivize questionable practices for disposing of waste.

• Stronger transparency and governance within EPR systems

NPA welcomes clearer regulatory requirements to ensure that producer fees are used for their intended purpose: financing collection and recycling, rather than contributing to profit distribution or short-term competitive advantages.

• EPR as a public service

Helena and her colleagues in EXPRA also emphasized the importance of recognizing EPR systems as services of general economic interest. This would give Member States better conditions to build stable and well-functioning systems aligned with EU objectives.

• Reasonable costs for producers – and households

Sweden is facing major cost increases as property-based collection expands. Helena underlined that producer responsibility must mean producers pay for efficient and necessary costs – not for rising expenses they cannot control or influence.

• Reliable and harmonized waste data

Finally, the meeting touched on the importance of robust waste statistics. As costs and EU penalties increase, pressure on national reporting also grows. This makes harmonized and reliable statistics essential for transparency and fairness between Member States.

Helena participated as part of EXPRA’s delegation. Beyond the Swedish perspective, the purpose of the meeting was also to reaffirm EPR as the financial backbone of a circular packaging economy. EXPRA further called for inclusion in EU-level crisis discussions, highlighted national best practices (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden), addressed challenges such as multi-PRO systems and state intervention, and advocated for recognizing EPR as a service of general economic interest with strong industry-led governance.