EPR: producers responsible for waste from used products
Are you a producer, or do you import a product? Or do you send your products straight to users in the Netherlands from abroad? If so, you may need to set up and pay for the handling of waste from your products. For example, by collecting and recycling the waste. This is called extended producer responsibility. Find out what you need to do.
On this page
- What is extended producer responsibility (EPR)?
- Why is there extended producer responsibility (EPR)?
- Who does UPV apply to?
- Which products does a UPV apply to?
- Registering and submitting an annual report to Rijkswaterstaat
- Collaborating with a producer organisation
- Declaring waste management contributions generally binding
What is extended producer responsibility (EPR)?
Uitgebreide Producentenverantwoordelijkheid, UPV, as it is commonly known in the Netherlands (EPR in English) applies to companies that sell products in the Netherlands for the first time. Do you fall under a UPV? Then you are responsible for the waste from the products. There are rules for the collection, the preparation for the reuse, and the recycling of waste materials. You must also inform consumers about this.
Read more about extended producer responsibility
Why is there extended producer responsibility (EPR)?
The aim is to make product chains more circular. In a circular economy, people use raw materials and products for as long as possible. They reuse, repair, refurbish, or recycle them. The EPR is one way of making this possible. A UPV states that producers must pay for, and often also arrange, the waste management of their products.
Who does UPV apply to?
An EPR applies to all suppliers who place a certain product on the market in the Netherlands for the first time. It does not matter to whom you first offer the product. This could be a firm that resells the product, such as a wholesaler or a retailer. It could also be the end user of the product, such as a consumer or a firm. Typical producers are:
- importers based in the Netherlands
- manufacturers based in the Netherlands
- foreign (online) suppliers who sell a product directly to end users in the Netherlands, without the involvement of an importer
Obligations of others in the product chain
A UPV may also impose requirements on other parties in the product chain. In some cases, for example, retailers, collectors, waste processors or online platforms must also meet certain requirements.
Which products does a UPV apply to?
There are EPRs for various product groups. Different rules apply to each product. These rules are set out in various Product Waste Regulations.
Read more about these EPRs:
If your products are covered by an EPR, you must, among other things:
- set up collection spots for the waste
- make sure the waste is handled correctly
- pay for this
Registering and submitting an annual report to Rijkswaterstaat
As a producer of a product covered by a UPV, you must in all cases register with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat, in Dutch). You must also send an annual report on your compliance with the duties. If you are a member of a producer organisation, that organisation will do this on your behalf.
Collaborating with a producer organisation
Are you unable to comply with the EPR rules yourself? Then you can also collaborate with other producers by joining a producer organisation. You pay a contribution to this organisation. The organisation then ensures that the used products are cleared away, in accordance with the rules.
Declaring waste management contributions generally binding
To ensure that all producers in a product category contribute to the clean-up of waste, an agreement can be declared generally binding (Avv in Dutch). All producers and importers who sell the product in the Netherlands are then obliged to pay the contribution. This includes producers and importers who are not affiliated with the agreement. Usually, a producer organisation submits the request.
Read here which agreements have been declared generally binding (in Dutch)