Ekopak Newsletter July 2014

Dear clients and associates of Ekopak,

Welcome to our Newsletter for July 2014!

At the beginning of July we had a workshop in Vitez, organised in cooperation with  Chambers of Commerce from Srednjobosanski and Zeničko-dobojski Canton, for obligatoris of the system from this Cantons. We’ve talked about Ordinance on packaging and packaging waste management, about Ekopak’s principles of work and results achieved so far as well as about advantages of “Green Dot” usage.

In Mostar in, cooperation with the associations "Bellarte" and "Mlaz" we've supported fashion performance "Waste is Taste ". This time the packaging was recycled in a creative way, so we wanted to send a message about the various possibilities of recycling and re-use of packaging waste.

We’ve supported the Association of Sports Fishermen Vitez in their activity of cleaning and repairing of the river Lašva’s bank – the natural jewel of Srednjobosanski Canton.

For the first time we've participated in 42nd International Turistic Una regatta: In cooperation with public utility companies “Komrad” from Bihać and “July 10th” from Bosanska Krupa, we've provided waste bins for separate disposal of packaging waste, which were set up on the coast, so that participants were able to separately dispose packaging waste.

„2nd Outdoor Foto & Film Festival“ in Kreševo was organized at the end of July, so we were pleased to be part of it. Respecting the fact that environmental protection is one of the basic concepts of Festival, in cooperation with mountaineering club „Bitovnja“ Kreševo, we've set up waste bins, so separate collection and recycling of packaging waste has marked this year's festival.

During this month, we've finalized amendments of the Contract on the transfer of obligations related to the management of packaging and packaging waste, which also contains the „Green Dot Rulebook“. Due to the fact that in the coming period, we will replace our old Contracts with new one, hereby we recommend and encourage all our clients to use the benefit of been in our system and to start using the "Green Dot" trademark on their packaging now. This symbol will become a link between consumers and producers soon, because the consumers will know that by buying the product marked with the „Green Dot“, they are buying a product from socially responsible company which is paying fees to Ekopak for their packaging and at that way they’re financing transparent, long-term and sustainable system of collection and recycling of packaging waste, based on the best European experience.

Having in mind the fact that, in the third year of implementation of the Ordinance, a significant number of producers, importers, fillers, distributors and retailers are still not in the system, Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism sent the Requirement to all retailers in FBiH to submit  the proof that they and their suppliers have meet their obligations for the years 2012 and 2013 via Ekopak or via Fund for Environmental Protection of FBiH. The legal obligations given in Law on waste management and in Ordinance on packaging and packaging waste management cannot be avoided, just accumulated, with the risk of paying penalties and obligation to join to the system and to retroactively pay the fees for the packaging from the day that Ordinance has been put into effect.

In this period, and on request of Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, we've been working on gathering reports in a new form from our clients for the year 2013, so we use this opportunity to thank to our clients who already submitted the reports, and to ask once more those who are not, to, submit their signed and stamped reports as soon as possible.

More details for mentioned activities can be seen below.

Yours respectfully,

Ekopak team