EPR system in Finland
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In practice, any company that falls under these regulations must be entered into the relevant national register and regularly meet its reporting obligations. Things become more complex, however, when you start selling in other European markets – for instance, in Finland.
Although all EU member states follow the same environmental directives, each country implements them differently, creating its own systems, procedures, and platforms. The Finnish equivalent of a waste management register doesn’t go by the same name as in other countries, but it serves a similar purpose: it combines databases and digital tools that support waste tracking and reporting. Importantly, understanding how these systems work is not just a legal necessity – it’s also a competitive advantage. Companies that can navigate Finland’s environmental framework efficiently tend to earn the trust of Finnish partners more quickly and avoid costly administrative missteps.
In Finland, the role comparable to a national waste register is divided among several integrated systems. These include YLVA, the Waste Management Register, Materiaalitori, and Kompassi – all overseen by the Finnish Environment Institute (FI–SYKE). Each of them serves a specific function, from waste data reporting to facilitating the exchange of secondary materials.
In this article, we’ll take you through each of these systems step by step. You’ll learn when and how they may apply to your business, how registration and reporting work in practice, and what these tools look like from a user’s perspective – whether you’re a local company or entering the Finnish market from abroad. Everything will be explained in clear terms, with practical insights drawn from real business scenarios. By the end, you’ll have a solid grasp of how to operate in compliance with Finnish regulations and in line with the principles of the circular economy.
The Finnish Waste Data Ecosystem – An Overview
While all EU member states are bound by the same directives on waste management, the way those rules are implemented varies significantly from country to country. Finland has chosen a modular and integrated approach. Instead of one single centralized system, Finland operates several interconnected platforms that together form a comprehensive waste data ecosystem.
This approach ensures transparency and flexibility, but it also requires businesses to be familiar with multiple systems at once. Each platform has its own scope and registration rules, meaning that companies active in Finland often have to engage with more than one tool in parallel.
The main components of Finland’s waste data infrastructure include:
YLVA (previously VAHTI/YLVA) – This is the central system for registering and reporting data on waste management. It gathers information on waste generation, transportation, and treatment from both private companies and public entities. The data collected through YLVA feeds into national statistics and reports required by EU institutions.
Waste Management Register – This is the official register for companies involved in the transport, brokerage, or treatment of waste. Managed by the Finnish Environment Institute (FI–SYKE), registration here is a prerequisite for legally operating in these sectors.
Materiaalitori – An online platform that functions as a marketplace for materials. It allows companies to offer or find waste materials, by-products, and waste management services. In certain cases – for example, public procurements exceeding a specific threshold – the use of Materiaalitori is mandatory.
Kompassi – This service integrates several key environmental registers, including the Waste Management Register and the Producer Register. It allows users to quickly verify whether a company complies with Finnish waste management and environmental regulations – an essential step when selecting reliable business partners.
All of these systems are overseen by FI–SYKE, the Finnish Environment Institute, which is responsible for maintaining the registers, processing and analyzing data, and submitting reports to both national and EU authorities. FI–SYKE works closely with the Ministry of the Environment, which designs policy, funds selected initiatives such as the development of Materiaalitori, and ensures that environmental data management aligns with Finland’s national sustainability strategy.
Through this structured yet flexible model, Finland has developed an environmental reporting system that, despite its complexity, offers businesses clarity, transparency, and practical support. It not only fulfills EU requirements but actively promotes circular economy goals and sustainable business practices.
In short, the Finnish model shows how regulatory compliance and business innovation can go hand in hand – helping companies build credibility, strengthen partnerships, and operate responsibly in one of Europe’s most forward-thinking markets.
YLVA – Finland’s Central Waste Reporting System
YLVA is one of the cornerstone elements of Finland’s waste management infrastructure. It serves as a central register and reporting platform that enables unified oversight of waste flows across the entire country. The system covers both private enterprises and public institutions, ensuring that environmental objectives are met and that waste management processes remain transparent within the framework of a circular economy.
Scope of Data and Functionality
YLVA collects data covering the entire lifecycle of waste – from generation to transport, processing, and final treatment or disposal. The system records information on waste types and quantities, their point of origin, details of carriers and transport routes, the location of treatment facilities, and the results of environmental analyses, including those concerning sewage sludge. It also contains information on environmental permits that have been granted.
This comprehensive data structure allows Finnish authorities and businesses to maintain real-time control over waste management while enabling long-term planning in resource efficiency and environmental protection. For companies, YLVA provides a consistent and structured way to meet reporting obligations while contributing to a broader data-driven approach to sustainability.
Data Use in National and EU Reporting
The data collected through YLVA feeds directly into the databases of Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), where it is processed for national environmental statistics. These datasets are then used in reports submitted to Eurostat and the European Commission under the Waste Framework Directive.
This integrated reporting process ensures that Finland can accurately track and report its recycling, recovery, and waste reduction levels – across both municipal and industrial sectors – with precision and consistency. As a result, Finland maintains a strong reputation for compliance, transparency, and environmental accountability within the EU.
Registration Requirements and Environmental Permits
Registration in YLVA is mandatory for all businesses operating in the field of waste management. This includes waste producers, transporters, intermediaries, brokers, and companies engaged in processing, recycling, or disposal.
For activities that require an environmental permit (ympäristölupa) issued by the Regional State Administrative Agency (Aluehallintovirasto, AVI), the permit information is automatically integrated into YLVA. This means that business operations can only begin once registration and, where applicable, the required environmental permits are completed and recorded in the system.
The link between environmental permits and the YLVA database ensures full traceability and prevents the start of operations without compliance being verified in advance.
Access to Data and Reports
Reporting templates, metadata, technical documentation, and archived datasets are made publicly available through FI–SYKE’s open data portal, accessible at https://ckan.ymparisto.fi. There, users can find data in Excel and CSV formats, along with methodology descriptions, reporting instructions, and ready-made analytical summaries.
YLVA therefore functions not only as a mandatory reporting platform but also as a strategic tool for environmental monitoring and policy development. It allows companies to fulfil their statutory obligations efficiently, while providing public authorities with reliable data that supports Finland’s sustainability agenda and circular economy objectives.
Waste Management Register – The Official Register of Waste Operators
The Waste Management Register is Finland’s official database of companies involved in the transport, brokerage, or treatment of waste. It is managed by FI–SYKE (the Finnish Environment Institute) and serves as one of the main supervisory tools for monitoring business activity within the waste management sector. For most entities intending to operate in this area, registration is a prerequisite for starting lawful operations.
Who Must Register
The requirement to register applies to waste carriers, whether they transport their own waste or provide transport services for others, brokers and intermediaries trading waste without physically handling it, and companies operating facilities for waste processing, storage, or disposal, provided their activities do not require a separate environmental permit.
This obligation applies equally to Finnish and foreign companies operating in Finland, regardless of the scale of their activities. It ensures that all participants in the waste management market are traceable, compliant, and accountable under Finnish environmental law.
The Registration Process
Registration takes place online through the FI–SYKE portal. The application must include a description of the company’s operations, identification details, information about technical capabilities, and evidence of compliance procedures. Once the application is verified, the company receives a registration number, which becomes its official identifier in the national waste management system.
Details of registered entities are entered into a public database accessible online. This allows clients, partners, and regulatory bodies to easily confirm the legal status of any waste management operator active in Finland.
Registration and Environmental Permits
Registration in the Waste Management Register does not replace the requirement for an environmental permit (ympäristölupa). Registration applies to businesses with a low or moderate environmental impact, while permits are required for higher-risk operations such as large-scale waste treatment or processing plants. Environmental permits are issued by the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI).
In practice, many companies are required to comply with both obligations – registration in the Waste Management Register and obtaining an environmental permit – depending on the nature and scale of their activities.
The Significance of the Registration Number
The registration number issued by FI–SYKE serves as official proof of legal compliance in Finland’s waste management sector. It plays a key role in building trust among clients, business partners, and public institutions. The number is often required when participating in tenders, signing contracts, or engaging in cooperation within the municipal and recycling sectors.
Because the register is publicly accessible, it also facilitates compliance verification for international partners, making it easier for foreign companies to confirm that their Finnish counterparts operate lawfully.
Through the Waste Management Register, public authorities maintain continuous visibility into the structure and evolution of the waste services market. For businesses, the register provides a clear, standardized, and transparent pathway to legal operation within Finland’s circular economy framework.
Materiaalitori – Finland’s Digital Marketplace for Secondary Materials
Materiaalitori is Finland’s national digital platform designed to facilitate the exchange of secondary raw materials, by-products, and waste management services. Operated by Motiva Oy and funded by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, it serves as a practical instrument for advancing the circular economy – where what is considered waste by one entity can become a valuable resource for another.
The platform functions as a virtual marketplace connecting businesses, municipalities, and public institutions. Listings on Materiaalitori include both surplus materials available for reuse and requests for specific raw materials or waste-related services. In practice, this means that by-products from one industrial process can find new life in another sector, rather than being disposed of as waste.
Public Sector Obligations
Under Finnish law, municipalities and public sector organizations are required to use Materiaalitori when the value of a waste management contract exceeds €2,000, or when the procurement surpasses the EU threshold set by public procurement regulations. Before any agreement with a service provider can be finalized, the notice must first be published on the platform.
This requirement ensures transparency, equal access to opportunities, and open competition in the management and reuse of waste and materials. It also encourages the public sector to lead by example in adopting circular practices.
How the Platform Works
Access to Materiaalitori is free of charge and open to both public entities and private businesses. After creating an account, users can publish listings, browse existing offers, filter them by waste type, location, or industry, and set alerts for new listings that match selected criteria.
The platform is designed with usability in mind, allowing participants across sectors to connect efficiently, discover new business opportunities, and contribute to resource efficiency through collaboration.
Benefits for Users
For private companies, Materiaalitori offers a practical way to sell waste and by-products, reduce disposal costs, source lower-cost secondary materials, and build new partnerships within Finland’s growing circular economy ecosystem.
For municipalities and public institutions, it supports compliance with transparency requirements in procurement, enables better use of local resources, reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, and promotes industrial symbiosis – collaboration between industries based on the exchange of resources and materials.
Access and Practical Use Cases
The platform is available at https://www.materiaalitori.fi and operates in both Finnish and English.
In practice, it is used by logistics companies selling used pallets to local furniture manufacturers, municipalities transferring green waste to composting facilities, recycling centers seeking plastic recovery services, and construction firms offering demolition debris and aggregates for reuse in other projects.
Materiaalitori has become a key element of Finland’s waste management and circular economy framework – not only as a marketplace for materials but also as a policy instrument that supports the country’s environmental goals and the promotion of sustainable industrial practices across sectors.
Kompassi – Finland’s Environmental Register Search Platform
Kompassi is Finland’s central online platform that provides fast, direct access to information about companies operating in the waste management sector or those subject to environmental regulations. Its primary goal is to simplify the verification of business partners, increase market transparency, and offer an accessible tool for monitoring compliance with Finnish environmental law.
The platform is developed and maintained by FI–SYKE (the Finnish Environment Institute) and funded by the Ministry of the Environment. Together, these institutions ensure that Kompassi remains a reliable and up-to-date resource for both public authorities and private sector users.
Key Features and Functionality
Kompassi functions as a central search engine that integrates data from Finland’s most important environmental registers. By entering a company name, registration number, or type of activity, users can immediately verify whether a business is listed in the required registers, review the scope of its environmental operations, and confirm the legality of its services in areas such as waste collection, transport, and processing.
The platform’s clear and user-friendly interface allows quick searches, filtering by selected criteria, and easy access to essential compliance information. For businesses, this means that due diligence checks and partner verifications can be carried out in minutes rather than days.
Integration with Core Registers
The main advantage of Kompassi lies in its direct integration with two key national registers:
The Waste Management Register, which includes data on companies engaged in waste transport, treatment, and brokerage, and the Producer Register, which covers producers subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations in areas such as packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, and tyres.
Through this integration, users can obtain a complete overview of a company’s legal and environmental status without having to navigate multiple separate databases. This unified access significantly improves transparency and streamlines compliance verification processes for both businesses and authorities.
Safe Collaboration and Compliance Audits
For companies operating in Finland — whether local businesses or international enterprises — Kompassi is an invaluable tool for performing reliable background checks on potential partners before entering into cooperation. It also supports documentation of partner compliance during audits, ISO certification processes, due diligence reviews, and when fulfilling environmental or procurement policy requirements.
By providing real-time, verifiable data on a company’s environmental credentials, Kompassi helps reduce regulatory and reputational risks while supporting responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chain management.
Planned Developments
FI–SYKE has announced plans to expand Kompassi’s functionality even further. Upcoming updates will include data on packaging producers and producer responsibility organizations, access to registration documents, detailed information on environmental permits, and integration with additional industry-specific registers.
These developments will transform Kompassi into an even more comprehensive compliance and risk management tool — one that not only enhances market transparency but also helps both businesses and public authorities manage environmental risks more effectively across the entire supply chain.
Practical Guidelines for Companies Operating in Finland
Starting a business in Finland in any field related to waste generation, transport, or processing requires careful preparation. Finland’s environmental procedures are transparent and largely available online, yet overlooking registration or reporting obligations can result in sanctions and may negatively affect a company’s reputation among local partners.
How to Determine Whether Registration is Required
The first step is to analyze your business profile in relation to Finland’s environmental obligations. Registration is required if your company generates waste during production, logistics, or warehousing; transports or brokers waste; operates facilities for processing or temporary storage; or places on the Finnish market products subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), such as packaging, electronic equipment, batteries, or tyres.
Depending on the nature of your operations, you may need to register in YLVA as a waste producer or processor, in the Waste Management Register as a carrier, broker, or facility operator, and in the Producer Register if you place EPR-covered products on the market. For e-commerce businesses, even shipping goods in packaging to Finnish consumers can trigger registration and reporting requirements under the EPR system.
Where to Find Forms and Guidance
All registration procedures are available online via FI–SYKE’s official websites, where you can find application forms, detailed instructions, and information about required attachments and submission deadlines. Most documentation is provided in both Finnish and English.
It is also advisable to use the CKAN open data platform, which offers access to metadata, reporting methodologies, sample report templates, statistical datasets, and examples of correctly completed documentation. These resources can significantly reduce the risk of errors during the reporting process.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The most common issues include incorrectly matching business activities to registration categories, failure to register in one of the required databases, late submission of reports, improper data formatting (for example, missing units or incorrect waste codes), and failing to update contact or technical details.
To avoid these pitfalls, businesses should regularly verify their entries in the relevant registers, monitor regulatory updates, seek advice from local environmental consultants when necessary, and establish internal data quality control procedures before submitting reports. Consistency and accuracy are key to maintaining compliance in Finland’s highly data-driven environmental system.
Why Accurate Reporting Matters
Finnish authorities place great emphasis on the quality, completeness, and consistency of environmental reports. Data submitted through YLVA and the Waste Management Register are used not only for national statistics but also for EU-level reporting. Errors or omissions can lead to correction requests, formal warnings, and in serious cases, administrative fines.
Accurate reporting is therefore not merely a legal obligation – it is also a sign of professionalism and credibility. For companies seeking to build trust with Finnish partners and public institutions, transparent and reliable reporting is an essential part of doing business responsibly in a circular economy framework.
A well-prepared company that understands its obligations and pays attention to detail in its environmental reporting gains a genuine competitive advantage and minimizes legal risk. In Finland, being present in the relevant registers is more than a formality – it is a mark of transparency and operational integrity.
Summary
Finland’s waste management regulatory framework differs from the centralized systems used in some other EU countries. Instead of a single, all-encompassing database, Finland has developed a modular structure in which registration, reporting, and oversight are divided among several specialized platforms.
The key systems include YLVA, the national waste and emissions reporting platform; the Waste Management Register, which lists transporters, brokers, and waste operators; Materiaalitori, the national marketplace for secondary materials and waste-related services; and Kompassi, the environmental register search platform that allows businesses to verify partners’ legal compliance.
For international companies – particularly in e-commerce and manufacturing – understanding and complying with these systems is essential. Registration obligations may arise not only from the type of activity but also from how products are placed on the Finnish market, for example through packaging in cross-border online sales.
A proactive and thorough approach to Finnish environmental compliance is more than just a legal necessity. It builds long-term trust, enhances operational efficiency, and strengthens a company’s competitive position in one of Europe’s most environmentally conscious and forward-thinking markets.
And while it’s entirely possible to handle these processes independently, working with experts who understand Finland’s environmental and EPR systems can make registration faster, smoother, and fully compliant – allowing your business to focus on what it does best.
