This is how responsibility is distributed in the packaging ordinance
In the role of producer responsibility organization, our operations are based on the ordinance on producer responsibility for packaging. As of 1 January 2024, the municipalities in Sweden are responsible for collecting packaging waste from households.
The purpose of the ordinance
The purpose of the packaging ordinance is, among other things, to:
- reduce the amount of packaging and packaging waste
- producers must take responsibility for collecting and treating packaging waste – operationally or financially
- achieve the goals for material recycling
- reduce litter
Several different actors need to contribute in order for the purpose of the ordinance to be achieved.
Your responsibility as a producer
All producers who place packaging on the Swedish market must be affiliated to an approved producer responsibility organization, PRO. Through the PRO, the collection, reception and recycling of all packaging materials from households is financed.
Having producer responsibility means that you must:
- pay for municipal collection of packaging, receipt of packaging from businesses and recycling of packaging
- report packaging for private use and for other than private use, which are placed on the market, at least quarterly
- contribute to meeting the national targets for material recycling rate and packaging waste
- only provide packaging that can be reused or recycled
- register per product category and report the number according to the single-use plastic directive once/year
- register with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
- report your packaging volumes (both for consumer and non-consumer packaging) to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, including composite, 1 time/year.
Our responsibility as a producer responsibility organisation
On behalf of our affiliated producers, we are responsible for recycling the producers’ packaging of all types of materials (paper, plastic, metal, glass, wood and other materials such as textiles, porcelain and others), provided that the packaging is designed for recycling.
We ensure reporting to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for all our affiliated producers and ensure that the municipal collection is paid.
As PRO, we must also collect our share of collected material in all of Sweden’s municipalities. Being the organisation with the largest market share for non-private use packaging, we are therefore also responsible for arranging and operating collection points for these.
We are responsible for:
- packaging waste is treated in accordance with current ordinance
- effectively contribute to reaching the material recycling targets and the targets for reduced litter in the packaging ordinance
- work for affiliated producers to increase the proportion of reusable packaging placed on the market and otherwise prevent packaging waste.
Responsibility of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) runs and coordinates environmental work in Sweden, on behalf of the Swedish government. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s mission includes working based on the ordinance (2022:1274) on producer responsibility for packaging. It is the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency that approves which producer responsibility organizations are allowed to collect and process packaging waste.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency must:
- Inform about producer responsibility.
- Exercise supervision and announce regulations, exceptions and exemptions.
- Decide on the compensation to the municipalities.
- Ensure that producer responsibility organisations, municipalities, market-driven systems, property owners and environmental organizations have an ongoing dialogue.
- Follow up the national recycling targets and report to the EU.
The municipalities' responsibility
Sweden’s municipalities are responsible for collecting packaging waste from households and co-located businesses. From 2027, property-related collection (FNI) must be introduced for all households, for paper, plastic, glass and metal packaging. The municipality must also ensure that there are easily accessible collection points for bulky packaging and collect packaging material in squares and parks from 1 January 2026.
They must also provide transshipment stations where the producer responsibility organizations must collect their share of the collected material for further transport to reception facilities, and where applicable to a recycling facility.