General Information
Förpackningsinsamlingen (The Swedish Packaging Collection Organisation) was established in 1994 when the government introduced the concept of producer responsibility for packaging and packaging material. The idea was to create an ecologically sound and sustainable society for the future, in which materials presently seen as waste are turned into new kinds of useful resources. The concept means that anyone manufacturing, importing or selling packaging is responsible for its collection and recycling.
To make it work in practice, industry and trade joined forces in the form of different material waste management companies, Plastkretsen (for plastic packaging waste), Returwell (for corrugated board waste), Svensk Kartongåtervinning (for paper and carton packaging waste) and MetallKretsen (for metal packaging waste). In January 2005 Svensk Kartongåtervinning and Returwell merged and the name of the material company is now Returkartong. A producer may associate to these companies by joining REPA, who administers packaging fee collection for the aforementioned companies.
The material waste management company for glass packaging, Svensk Glas Återvinning, was set up as early as 1986, when collection of glass first began. They run their own financing system.
