Do you have any questions?

Contact Nadja


Nadja Volant
Customer and Sales Manager
nadja.volant@tmr.se | +46 (0) 790 06 24 58

Producer responsibility for packaging

The purpose of producer responsibility for packaging is to ensure that whoever sells packaged products on the market also ensures that the packaging is disposed of in the best possible way after it has been emptied.

Producer responsibility was introduced in 1994 but has been revised several times since then. Partly to align with European rules, but also to help companies choose the most environmentally friendly solutions and provide a level playing field for all producers. If all companies take their producer responsibility, the economic impact will be minimized.

Sustainable management

What is Producer Responsibility?

Producer responsibility means that those that distributes packaging or packaged products are responsible for the packaging throughout their life cycle. It ranges from design and manufacturing to use and recycling. Focusing on the whole product system promotes sustainable management of natural resources and waste.

The importance of Producer Responsibility:

Minimizing environmental impact

Promoting the circular economy

Strengthening the brand

Encouraging innovation

Packaging on the market

Who has producer responsibility?

All businesses that distributes packaging or packaged goods on the Swedish market from the first time have producer responsibility. This can be the manufacturing or import of a packaging, but also the import of a pre-packaged product, filling a packaging or adding packaging material to an existing product. Similarly, businesses outside Sweden that export packaging or products to a Swedish user have a producer responsibility.

SOME EXAMPLES

Producer responsibility according to the Packaging Regulation

The business that first distributes a packaging or packaged products on the Swedish market is also responsible for its producer responsibility. But in practice, it can be different businesses and sometimes even several businesses can be responsible. Some examples are:

  • the manufacturer of a package
  • the person filling a package
  • the importer of a package
  • who adds a packaging component to an already existing package
  • anyone who exports a product from abroad directly to a consumer in Sweden.
Join us
REDUCE OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Design for recycling

In simple terms, this concept means that from the beginning of product development, packaging is also developed with the purpose of reducing the overall environmental impact of the product during its life cycle. For packaging, this includes matters such as:

  • choice of materials: renewable or recycled raw materials, non-toxic materials, etc.
  • design and the possibility of separating different materials during collection
  • recyclability and the demand for the recycled material
COLLECTION & TRANSPORTATION

Packaging fees:

The packaging fee is based on different factors.

Among other things, the packaging fee will finance the municipal collection of packaging waste, but it will also cover the costs of logistics and treatment processes. This includes collecting packaging from municipal collection points, transporting it to sorting facilities, baling the packaging material and finally recycling it.

Packaging fees are the same for all producer customers and the minimum charge is 1000 SEK per quarter.

The Packaging Regulation prohibits approved producer responsibility organizations from distributing profits. As TMR is an approved producer responsibility organization, it operates on a non-profit basis.

Download current packaging fees:
Swedish or English.

PACKAGING VOLUMES

Reporting

Producer responsibility means that all businesses that distributes packaging or packaged products on the Swedish market must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency and report their packaging volumes. Reporting is done to us as a producer responsibility organization (PRO), which ensures that the packaging volumes have been reported correctly and then sends the report to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

Reporting of packaging volumes is done monthly or quarterly in our customer portal. The final reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency takes place quarterly during the year, but a compilation of all packaging volumes is also made at the beginning of each year for the previous year, which we then report to the Environmental Protection Agency.

YOUR FULL PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

Nordic producer responsibility

We understand that producer responsibility can be complex and time-consuming, which is why we have now made it easier for companies to meet their obligations in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Our one-stop solution makes us your single point of contact for your producer responsibility.

  • All reporting of your packaging on the Nordic market is done seamlessly via TMR.
  • We take care of producer responsibility for you, so you can focus on your core business.
  • For those companies that prefer to manage producer responsibility themselves, we continue to offer support, guidance and the right contacts.

Together with our strong partners in the Nordics, we make the process smooth and efficient.

Our Nordic partners are:

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

Q&A Producer responsibility

As of January 1, 2024, we handle all types of packaging.

Plastic, paper, metal, glass and wood packaging. And those in the “other” category such as textile and ceramic packaging.

On January 1, 2024, municipalities took over responsibility for the collection of household packaging. In regarding to this, the producer must reimburse the municipalities through TMR for collection according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations. The implementation of kerbside collection in all Swedish municipalities is extensive and therefore costly.

The quarterly price changes are linked to the municipalities’ costs for the collection of household packaging. These costs are variable and can change depending on the timing and method of implementation decided by the municipalities. Municipalities have until the end of 2026-2027 to complete the implementation of kerbside collection.

We have developed a material guide to help you easily assess which category your material falls into. This is available as a pdf in the customer portal for you to download. Log in here.