Extended producer responsibility is currently a leading principle for bringing about a move towards cyclic material flows. This principle has been made mandatory by law for packaging, waste paper, cars and tyres, and a proposal to introduce legislation in Sweden for electronic and electrical products has been sent to the European Commission for notification. Consequently, the producer, importer or seller of a given product within these product categories is responsible for taking care of the product when the consumer no longer has any use for it. This is a way of internalising the cost of recycling and management of end-of-life products.
In addition to the regulatory approach there are also examples of voluntary undertakings. (See box concerning the building and property sector.)
Extended responsibility means that what used to be regarded as a waste problem will have to be dealt with at an earlier stage, i.e., when designing the product, selecting materials and manufacturing the product. The long-term objective of extended producer responsibility is to stimulate a more environmentally sound product development process.
Consequently, extended producer responsibility gives industry plenty of scope to decide how end-of-life products are to be returned and how they are to be designed to fit into a cyclic material flow. In recent years Swedish industry has endeavoured to develop more environmentally sound products and has found that the market often favours such products.
| An action plan for implementing a voluntary undertaking regarding extended producer responsibility in the building and property sector | |
| In 1994 the entire Swedish building sector formulated a voluntary commitment on how to assume extended producer responsibility in the buildings and property sector. In 1996, the building sector formulated a very strong and voluntary action plan to meet their commitments.The action plan | |
| 1. | To improve its competence in and knowledge about environmental issues. |
| 2. | To limit future environmental problems via action at the early stages of product development, planning and project design. |
| 3. | Building product declarations. |
| 4. | To adopt industry standards to the needs of a more cyclic material flow. |
| 5. | To identify environmentally hazardous waste and sort it at the source. |
| 6. | Demolition and sorting at source. |
| 7. | Approved waste-handlers. |
| 8. | To halve the volume of landfill waste by the year 2000. |
Source: The Swedish Construction Federation andthe Swedish Federation of Architects and Consulting Engineers (1995). |
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| Extended producer responsibility – How goals are being met |
| The extended producer responsibility, mandatory by law, for packaging, waste paper, and tyres works well. The annual goals set for recycling of these materials have in general been met.Some recycling rates in 1996: |
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| Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (1998) |
| Extended producer responsibility for packaging – A voluntary system set up by trade and industry to fulfil their obligations |
| The Swedish business community has established six special materials companies, which on a voluntary basis organise the collection of packaging and recycling of materials. They operate on a non-profit basis and their operations are financed by a charge on filling operations and importers. Four of the six materials companies, covering 85 % of packaging in Sweden, have set up a joint organisation for handling and administration of fees.A few companies manage their own materials, independent of the materials companies. |
| The recycling of aluminium cans and PET bottles in Sweden |
| AB Svenska Returpack and AB Svenska Returpack- PET are responsible for the administration and operation of the current Swedish deposit system for aluminium cans and recyclable PET bottles. The companies are jointly owned by the packaging industry, breweries and the retail trade. Both deposit systems are based on a closed loop system. Returpack operates its business on a break-even basis, by organising their finances so that revenues are equal to expenses. The figure shows the system for the aluminium can. |
| AB Svenska Returpack has the monopoly for the deposit system of aluminium cans, which is conducted according to the terms of special government license governed by Swedish law. The company has been in operation since 1984 and has achieved the goal of 90 % recycling at low cost. AB Svenska Returpack-PET has been in operation since 1984. It has achieved 80 % recycling and is expected to reach the goal of 90 % by the year 2000.With today’s high level of recycling and from an environmental and energy utilisation point of view, the aluminium can and the recyclable PET bottle represent a packaging option as good as the returnable PET bottle and the glass bottle.
Several aspects of the Swedish system for recycling aluminium cans and non-returnable PET bottles have attracted international attention. Delegations from numerous countries have visited Sweden over the years to study how the systems work. Swedish recycling systems serve not only as a model for other countries, but also for other Swedish companies involved in the field of recycling. |
| The Swedish centre for hazardous waste treatment – SAKAB |
| The centre for hazardous waste treatment, SAKAB, is located in Kumla in central Sweden. SAKAB is a modern, advanced facility, and provides Swedish industry with ultimate disposal and treatment capacity for all hazardous waste streams in the country, if it cannot be disposed of elsewhere. |