1 § Name and registered office
The name of the association shall be SELT Association and the location of its registered office shall be Helsinki.
2 § Purpose
The purpose of the association shall be:
1) to act as a producer organisation of electrical and electronic equipment producers, pursuant to the Waste Act and the Government Decrees;
2) to fulfil, on behalf of its members, the obligations of the Finnish legislation corresponding to the WEEE directive;
3) to develop and promote the reuse, recycling and other ways of utilising waste electrical and electronic equipment; and
4) to facilitate its members’ environmental protection measures during the lifecycle of electrical and electronic equipment;
3 § Modes of operation
To fulfil its purpose the association:
1) shall be responsible, with regard to its members, for defining the principles and operation models related to recycling systems and fees;
2) shall be responsible for producing and acquiring recycling services and for collecting and administering the fees;
3) may own shares in limited liability companies carrying on business closely related to the operation or fulfilment thereof of the association, and stand surety for their obligations ; and
4) may, if necessary, take other measures promoting the purpose of the association.
4 § Branch groups
The association’s branch groups shall include:
1) large household appliances;
2) small household appliances;
5) lighting equipment;
6) electrical and electronic tools;
7) toys, leisure and sports equipment;
8) medical devices;
9) Monitoring and control instruments;
9B) fire alarm equipment; and
10) automatic dispensers.
Each branch group shall independently prepare proposals to the board of the association about collection operation concerning the branch group in question and about possible collection fees.
By virtue of a decision by the board of the association, branch groups representing different product groups may be established.
5 § Membership requirement
The board may accept,
1) as a regular member of the association, and at the same time as a member of one or more branch groups, a solvent corporate body with legal capacity manufacturing, selling under its own brand, or importing equipment belonging to the branch groups of the association; and
2) as a co-operation member, a corporate body with legal capacity carrying on business closely associated to the member organisations’ business. A co-operation member’s financial obligation towards the association shall be limited to the admittance fee and the annual membership fee. The rights of the co-operation member in the meetings of the association shall be limited to right of attendance and address.
6 § Joining as member
The desire to join the membership of the association, and at the same time the membership of one or more branch groups, shall be expressed in writing using a form adopted by the board of the association. New members shall be approved by the board after hearing the relevant branch groups in question. To be accepted as a member, an applicant must show that it meets the requirement mentioned in 5 § and undertake to comply with the regulations of the association. The membership will definitively enter into force only after the applicant has paid the admittance and annual fees of the association.
The board must, when necessary, obtain further information about the applicant’s business, financial standing and recycling liabilities for electrical and electronic equipment concerning the time preceding the joining. Any information thus obtained must be treated as confidential.
7 § Resignation
A member shall have the right to resign from the association by notifying thereof in writing to the board or its chairman. A member may also resign by notifying thereof for the record at the meeting of the association. The membership shall expire at the start of the next calendar year following the resignation provided that the resignation is carried out by the end of September. If the resignation is carried out in October-December, the membership shall expire one year from the date of resignation unless otherwise decided by the board.
A resigning member shall not be entitled to repayment of fees paid by it to the association, but it shall be under an obligation to fulfil its commitments towards the association undertaken while a member and to pay its member’s fees for the period of notice.
Upon resignation a member shall forfeit all its rights to the association and its assets.
8 § Dismissal
The board of the association may dismiss a member, if the member
1) acts in violation of the regulations or purpose of the association;
2) has failed to fulfil the obligations undertaken by it by joining the association; or
3) no longer meets the membership requirements.
A dismissed member shall not be entitled to repayment of fees paid by it to the association, but it shall be under an obligation to fulfil its commitments towards the association undertaken while a member and to pay its member’s fees for the period of notice.
Upon dismissal a member shall forfeit all its rights to the association and its assets.
9 § Notices and statistical data
A member of the association shall be obliged, within the prescribed time limit, to provide the association with the information needed for imposing the admittance, annual, recycling and other fees determined by the meeting of the association or by the board. At the discretion of the board, checks can be carried out to verify data reported by member organisations to the association in order to ensure the equal treatment of all members.
A member of the association shall be obliged, within the prescribed time limit, to provide the association with the statistical data needed for fulfilling the statutory obligations or for other operations carried our for promoting the interests of the association and its members,
Any information concerning the members and their business shall be treated as confidential.
10 § Costs
The members of the association shall belong to branch groups subject to their lines of business, and within their branch groups they shall be liable for the operative and administrative costs of discarded equipment belonging under the scope of the branch group, proportionally to the Finnish market share of the branch group members, based on cost-matching principle.
The members of branch groups for professional equipment (other than household equipment) shall be liable for costs arising from the collection network only insofar as they use the collection network as a collection channel for directing equipment lots, returned by their customers, to recycling.
Cost allocation between branch groups shall be based on actual collection, recycling and administrative costs per volume.
11 § Fees
The members shall pay to the association admittance and annual fees the amounts of which the association’s board of directors decide. A new member shall pay a full annual fee for the year of joining irrespective of when it was accepted as a member of the association.
The admittance and annual fees must be paid within the time determined by the board.
A meeting of the association may decide upon any necessary additional fees.
12 § Meetings of the association
The association shall hold one general meetings each year, which the shall be held no later than in May. An extraordinary meeting of the association shall be held whenever the board or the auditors may deem it necessary or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the association’s members require it in writing for a specified matter.
13 § Notice of the general meeting of the association
A notice and the agenda of the general meeting of the association shall be sent to the managing directors of the member organisations of the association or to contact persons entered in the register of the association no later than ten (10) days prior to the meeting, in writing or by e-mail.
14 § Remote attendance at the general meeting
Members can attend the general meeting remotely by providing advance notice as follows:
1) Upon receiving the invitation to the meeting, the member submits a notification by the stated deadline to inform the association of its remote attendance
2) After the registration period, the member receives the agenda and other meeting materials in the same way as other attendees
3) The member submits its view on each agenda item (for/against) before the meeting by the deadline stated by the association.
4) The notice must be submitted to the email address stated by the association
15 § Matters discussed by the general meeting of the association
The following matters are processed at the general meeting:
1) Election of vote counters and inspectors of the minutes;
2) Review of the board’s report for the previous operating year, the latest financial statements and the auditors’ report;
3) Approval of the financial statements:
4) Relieving the board of its liability for the accounts;
5) Confirming the salaries of the chairman and members of the board and the auditors;
6) Confirming the number of board members, and electing board members;
7) Appointing an auditor accredited by the Central Chamber of Commerce, and a deputy auditor or corporation;
8) Other items proposed by the board; and
9) Items submitted by association members addressed to the board and submitted to the chairman of the board or an appointed representative of the association in writing or confirmed as received via email before 15 March.
16 § Vote
Each member shall have one (1) vote at the association meeting. No member of the association may vote with more than five (5) powers of attorney.
The votes and elections shall be conducted openly unless a participant at the meeting requires a vote by secret ballot. The votes of members participating by remote attendance are calculated together with the votes of those physically present at the meeting.
In the case of a tie the chairman’s vote shall be decisive with the exception of elections which shall be determined by lot.
17 § Minutes of the association meetings
Minutes shall be prepared of the association meetings, signed by the chairman of the meeting and checked by members elected thereto by the meeting.
18 § Board of Directors
The board of the association shall consist of four (4) to six (6) members elected by the annual meeting of the association for one year at a time. The board’s tenure begins immediately after the annual meeting. The board of directors shall elect a chairman and two vice-chairmen from within the board.
Should a board member resign prior to the expiry of his/her term, a new person may be elected by an extraordinary meeting for the remaining term of the resigned member.
19 § Tasks of the board of director
The board of directors shall
1) prepare the items for presentation to the general meeting;
2) execute the resolutions of the general meeting;
3) oversee the administration and finances of the association in accordance with guidelines approved by the general meeting;
4) represent the association in dealings with the authorities and third parties;
5) make decisions on the purchase of agent services, recycling and other services used by the association and on the appointment of agents;
6) draw up an annual report on the association’s activities and present the financial statements to the general meeting;
7) make a decision on the action plan and budget for the next calendar year, on registration and annual membership fees and on the required additional fees and recycling fees; and
8) oversee all matters which are not the responsibility of other bodies by virtue of law or as established in these regulations.
20 § Meetings of the board of directors
The board of directors shall convene by invitation of the chairman. Two (2) members of the board may require the chairman to invite the board to convene for discussing a notified matter.
The board of directors shall constitute a quorum when at least half of its members are present at the meeting of the board.
The decisions shall be made by a simple majority vote. In case of a drawn vote, the chairman shall have the casting vote.
21 § Chairman of the association
The chairman of the board shall also be designated as the chairman of the association.
22 § Signing for the association
The agent voted to the association alone, or the chairman and vice-chairman together, or either one of the chairmen together with another chair member can sign on behalf of the association.
23 § Funds
The meeting of the association may establish funds for fulfilling the purpose of the association.
24 § Accounts and financial statements
The operational and financial period of the association shall be the calendar year.
The accounting and cost follow-up of the association shall be carried out industry and product group specifically insofar as it is possible and cost effective.
The financial statements with the pertinent documents and the annual report by the board of directors shall be submitted to the auditors no later than four (4) weeks prior to the annual meeting.
The auditors must submit a well-founded written report, addressed to the meeting of the association, to the board of directors no later than two (2) weeks prior to the annual meeting.
25 § Dissolution of association
A decision on dissolving the association must be made in two consecutive meetings of the association, held at an interval of at least two (2) weeks, one of which must be the association’s annual meeting.
To be adopted the proposal must at both meetings gain at least three fourths (3/4) of the votes given.
If the association is dissolved or disestablished, the assets of the association must be used in a way determined at the dissolution meeting in accordance with the purpose of the association.