Producer responsibility

This section defines 'producer responsibility' and provides information about the vehicles that are covered and how producer responsibility affects you as a vehicle owner.

Producer responsibility is the financial responsibility for dismantling and recycling scrapped vehicles. It means that a producer (professional manufacturer and professional importer, for example, a general agent) is responsible for arranging for a vehicle to be dismantled correctly in accordance with the rules.

A vehicle owner should be entitled to hand their vehicle over for dismantling free of charge. The producers will bear the costs of dismantling and recycling the vehicle.

Extended producer responsibility

The system of paying dismantling charges and dismantling premiums for vehicles that are dismantled was replaced on 1 June 2007 by extended producer responsibility. This means that Swedish vehicle manufacturers and professional importers are liable to, free of charge, accept used vehicles that are handed over to them.

They must also ensure that they arrange appropriate reception systems, with good accessibility and geographical coverage. As a main rule, a vehicle owner should never be more than 50 kilometres from a collection point or should be able to hand the vehicle over within a municipality.

The producers, together with Sweden's municipal authorities, are also responsible for providing information about where cars can be handed over for dismantling.

BIL Sweden, a trade association, provides information about vehicle producers on its website. 
 
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency also provides information about producer responsibility on its website.

Which vehicles are covered by producer responsibility?

Producer responsibility does not cover all categories of vehicles. The following vehicles are covered:

  • passenger cars (total weight no more than 3 500 kg),
  • light lorries (total weight no more than 3 500 kg),
  • small buses (total weight no more than 3 500 kg).

If your vehicle is covered by producer responsibility, you are entitled to hand your vehicle over for dismantling free of charge to the producer or its representative. However, the producer may request compensation if the vehicle lacks essential parts or parts of financial value, such as, for instance, an engine, gearbox or catalytic convertor.

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