Restaurant Owner: If You Buy Takeaway Packaging from Abroad, Remember to Manage Your Extended Producer Responsibility

Many restaurant owners are not aware that they must fulfil Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations for packaging. This means taking care of the waste management of the products placed on the market. EPR obligations apply if a restaurant buys takeaway packaging or other packaged products, such as raw materials, from abroad. 

Previously, EPR obligations for packaging only applied to companies with a turnover of more than 1 million euros. As of the beginning of 2024, the EPR legislation changed. EPR for packaging now applies to all companies, including restaurants that place packaging on the Finnish market.   

Who manages EPR for takeaway or service packaging? 

In the case of takeaway packaging (also called service packaging), producer responsibility lies with either the manufacturer or the importer of the packaging.  

1. If a Finnish restaurant buys the takeaway packaging it uses from a Finnish manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer, the restaurant itself does not have producer responsibility for the takeaway packaging it uses. 
2. If a Finnish restaurant imports takeaway packaging or buys it from a foreign online shop, it has producer responsibility for the takeaway packaging.  

What is considered takeaway packaging? 

Examples of takeaway packaging include: 

• pizza boxes, 
• disposable plastic and cardboard containers, 
• food paper bags, 
• paper and plastic carrier bags, 
• disposable plates and cups, 
• plastic wrap, 
• sandwich bags and 
• aluminium foil. 

Imports of other than takeaway packaging 

If the restaurant imports products other than takeaway packaging, EPR must also be managed for the packaging of these products. 

In addition to packaging, EPR applies to the following products: batteries and accumulators (including those inside vehicles and electrical equipment), vehicles, paper and paper products, tyres, electrical and electronic equipment, certain single-use plastic products (SUP) and fishing gear containing plastic (SUP). For these products, EPR applies to the manufacturers, importers and distance sellers. EPR must be managed separately for each category of products. 

How to manage EPR? 

EPR can be easily managed by joining a Producer Organisation. 

There are two approved packaging Producer Organisations in Finland: Finnish Packaging Producers Ltd and Sumi Oy.  You can join them through the service company Rinki Oy.

• Become a member (rinkiin.fi) 

For other product groups, approved Producer Organisations can be found on the Producer Responsibility website.  

• How to manage Extended Producer Responsibility (producerresponsibility.fi)

Avoid extra charges 

Managing EPR is not voluntary. If a company with producer responsibility has failed to meet its obligation, the Pirkanmaa ELY Centre may impose a negligence fee:   

The fee is 1% of the company's turnover for the previous financial year, with a minimum of 500 euros and a maximum of 500 000 euros.  

What is packaging

Packaging is a single-use or reusable product used to preserve or protect a substance or object, to facilitate its presentation or to enable its handling or transport. Packaging includes not only sales packaging but also group and transport packaging.

Service packaging is packaging used at the point of sale to package food and other products directly to the consumer. Examples include carrier bags, takeaway portion packs and other packaging used in service activities.

Farmer's packaging is packaging used for unprocessed agricultural and horticultural products sold off the farm.

Contact persons:

Pirkanmaa ELY Centre: 

Milla Kolehmainen, Senior Inspector, tel. 0295 036 271 and 
Tuomo Aunola, Senior Inspector, tel. 0295 036 319

E-mail addresses are firstname.lastname@ely-keskus.fi 

www.producerresponsibility.fi