EPR: producers responsible for waste from used products
Are you a producer, or do you import a product? You may have extended producer responsibility (EPR) for your products. That means you must help dispose of the waste that remains after use of your product. For example, by collecting, recycling, or reusing products. Find out if extended producer responsibility applies to your business.
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 first in the Netherlands. You are responsible for the waste from the products. For example, there are rules for the collection and recycling of waste materials. Do you fall under the UPV? Then you must not only help prevent waste, you also remain responsible for cleaning up the waste from your product. For example, you must collect waste and use that waste again to make new products (recycling).
Why is there extended producer responsibility (EPR)?
The aim of EPR is to ensure that products are reused, repaired, refurbished, or recycled as much as possible. This means that raw materials and products remain in use for as long as possible and no new products need to be manufactured. This is known as a circular economy.
What products does UPV apply to?
A mandatory UPV applies to these 6 product groups:
You are considered a producer if you make a product in one of these product groups in the Netherlands, or if you introduce such a product onto the Dutch market for the first time as an importer. You must then:
- provide a collection point for discarded products
- ensure proper handling of discarded products
- pay for disposal
Who does the EPR apply to?
The EPR applies to all suppliers who offer a product on the market for the first time. It does not matter to whom you first offer the product. This could be a business that resells the product, such as a middleman or a retailer (distributor). But it could also be the end user of the product, such as a consumer or a business.
Producers are usually:
- importers based in the Netherlands
- manufacturers based in the Netherlands
- foreign (online) suppliers who sell a product to end users in the Netherlands, without the intervention of an importer
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)