LEGISLATION REQUIRES RECOVERY
Finnish legislation imposes on firms the obligation to attend to the recovery of packaging. The law applies to all packers and firms importing packed products with a turnover of EUR 1m or more. The regulations also apply to all packaging and packaging waste generated by its use.
The Council of State Decree on packaging and packaging waste is based on the EU packaging directive. The aim of the legislation is:
- to reduce the quantity of packaging waste
- to increase the recovery of packaging as material for new products or as energy
- to prevent environmental impacts and the introduction of trade barriers
- to prevent the distortion and restriction of competition through equitable treatment of packaging materials.
A packer
A packer is every firm manufacturing any product whatsoever that uses packaging materials to protect its products, for example, in production, storage, transport and distribution.
The packer of a product is most often its manufacturer. In addition, a wholesale business or another distributor is a packer if it adds packaging to its products.
A retailer is also a packer with regard to in-store packing.
An importer
Importers of packed products are all firms that import products that are packed in some way. The importer is the firm that owns the packed product at the moment of import.