Finland

Have any regulations or guidelines already been implemented?

There is no regulation or guideline concerning the extended liability of textile producers.

The Waste Act (646/2011) was amended in 2021, implementing relevant provisions of the Directive (EU) 2018/851.

Further relevant regulation can be found in the Government Decree on Waste (179/2012, as amended).

Is there any upcoming relevant legislation or guidelines? 

What is the timeline for implementation?

There is currently no upcoming relevant legislation or guidelines relating to the extended producer responsibility in the textile sector.

The Ministry of the Environment has however submitted a report in the form of a Europe communication (E 67/2022 vp), where the preliminary position of Finland was presented regarding the extended producer liability in the textile sector as suggested in the strategy of the European Commission. However, no further actions have been taken since then.

What are the general rules?

No general rules concerning the extended liability of textile producers.

According to Section 20 of the Government Decree on Waste, municipalities must organize the reception of textile waste generated from housing at regional reception points no later than 1 January 2023.

Chapter 6 of the Waste Act provides provisions on producer responsibility. Here, Section 48 states the products and producers covered by producer responsibility. Textiles and the textile sector are not mentioned under this Section, but Subsection 3 confirms that further provisions on what the products and who the producers referred to in Subsection 1 are, may be given by Government Decree.

Section 21 of the Government Decree on Waste states that the waste holder, in other words e.g. the waste producer, must organize the separate collection of textile waste as far as it is possible. The obligation must be fulfilled no later than 1 July 2022.

What are the products involved?

The products involved have not been defined in nationally.

However, instances such as the Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY) has provided guidelines on what kind of textile waste is allowed at the separate textile collection points (as regards textile waste generated from households).

What are the enforcement measures and sanctions in case of violation?

N/A

Which are the responsible authorities or bodies?

N/A