kierrätysvastuun

Kierrätysvastuu refers to the responsibility that producers and importers have for the end-of-life management of their products. This concept is central to extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, which aim to shift the burden of waste management from municipalities and taxpayers to the entities that place products on the market. In Finland, kierrätysvastuu is a legally mandated principle that applies to various product categories, including packaging, electronics, batteries, vehicles, and tires.

The core idea behind kierrätysvastuu is that those who design, manufacture, and sell products should also be responsible for ensuring they are collected, recycled, or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner once they become waste. This encourages producers to design products that are more durable, easier to repair, and made from materials that are readily recyclable. By internalizing the costs of waste management, producers are incentivized to minimize the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle.

In practice, producers often fulfill their kierrätysvastuu by joining or establishing producer organizations. These organizations are responsible for organizing and financing the collection and treatment of waste products according to regulatory requirements. Consumers play a role by returning waste products to designated collection points. The ultimate goal of kierrätysvastuu is to promote a circular economy, where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting the maximum value from them before recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life.