FAQ / Consumer product reporting
How do I know which equipment are within the scope of the directive?
Within the scope of the directive are equipment which, to operate correctly, need electrical current or an electromagnetic field or which are intended for generating, transferring or measuring such current or field and which are designed for use at a maximum voltage of 1,000 V in alternating current or at a maximum voltage of 1,500 V in direct current. Appendix 1 to the Government Decree 852/2004 (in Finnish | pdf 89 kb) shows an example list of equipment belonging within the scope of the directive.
How do I know whether our company must fill in the consumer product reports?
All member businesses of the group producing consumer products to the Finnish market must fill in the consumer product reports. If your firm, during a reporting period, has not produced consumer products to the market, the report must be filled in with zero figures.
Where can I fill in the consumer product reports?
The consumer product reports, to be filled in for every quarter, are filled in the electronic reporting system at Elker Oy's web site. A link to the system can be found on the Forms page.
A reminder of a missing consumer product report was e-mailed to me, but I think I have filled in the report. How can I check this?
You will receive an e-mail confirmation about a report successfully delivered to Elker Oy. It is recommendable to check these confirmation e-mails to see that the confirmation applies to the period covered by the reminder. From the report menu of the reporting system you can check reports filled in by you. If it appears that you have filled in all reports appropriately, kindly contact Elker to check whether your reports have arrived to their destination.
How often are consumer products reported?
The members of SELT Association and ICT Producer Co-operative fill in the consumer product reports every three months. The reports are to be filled in by the last day of the month following the reporting period. The report of the last quarter of the year must be filled in by the 15th of January next year. The members of FLIP Association report their equipment through a separate system once a month.
Are exported products reported?
The consumer product reports are to include only products which are put on to and manufactured for the Finnish market. The recycling fee is country-specific and the principle is that the recycling fee is paid in the country of the recycling system where the product is returned when it is discarded.
How can a company that has exported electrical or electronics equipment apply for export compensation?
If a company has exported products of a member company of Elker Group's producer organisation, products that the member company in question has reported to the producer organisation of the Elker Group in its consumer product reports, the company that has exported the products is entitled to apply for export compensation from the producer organisation. Export compensation can only be applied for consumer products. For the producer organisations of the Elker Group the export compensation is a voluntary system and the processing costs of the export compensation are deducted from the applied amount of export compensation. It is therefore not viable to apply for export compensation for small exported amounts. Export compensation is applied from the producer organisation whose products have been exported (SELT: WEEE 1, 2, 5 Lighting equipment, 6, 7, 8 and 9, ICT: 3 and 4, FLIP: 5 Lamps). Producer organisations have different practices with regard to the export compensation, so more detailed information should be checked at each producer organisation's site: SELT Association, ICT Producer Co-operative, FLIP Association.
How are the consumer products which are exported to Åland reported?
Producer liability entered into force in Åland on 1 January 2007. As from that date the consumer products exported to Åland are to be reported to the producer organisation and recycling fees are to be paid for the products. Products exported to Åland are to be included in the quarterly filled-in consumer product reports (Åland and the rest of Finland in the same report).
Why is the starting date for reporting 13 August 2005?
Since the entry into force of producer liability on 13 August 2005 a producer of electrical and electronic equipment has been obliged to report the consumer products put on the market by it unless the company has reported the equipment previously to another producer organisation. The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa does not charge recycling fees from producers for consumer products. PIR only charges a reporting fee from the submitters of the reports pursuant to the Decree on Criteria for Charges Payable to the State. Thus if the company has previously reported the consumer products, put on the market by it, to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa, the consumer products must also be reported to the Elker Group's producer organisation whose member the company is. As all businesses have been under an obligation to report the products since the entry into force of the law, all businesses have an equal status; and the businesses that have postponed their joining a producer organisation cannot avoid the fees.
Must we report from 13 August 2005, even though we submitted reports to the Pirkanmaa Regional Environment Centre before we joined the producer organisation?
Yes. The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa only charges the reporting fee from the reporting businesses, pursuant to the Decree on Criteria for Charges Payable to the State, so no recycling fees have been paid as year for the consumer products in question.
Where can I find forms for reporting the years 2005-2006?
There are separate links for 2005 and 2006 web-reporting forms on the Forms page.
