The agreement covers producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment, packaging, batteries, fishing gear, single-use plastics and, over time, also textiles and other waste streams. It ensures that the producer responsibility for products and packaging from Temu sellers is handled in accordance with both Danish and European legislation.
“This is a milestone for producer responsibility in Denmark, and we are proud that Temu has chosen Retur as its producer responsibility partner in Denmark,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen, CEO of Retur.
Temu itself does not hold producer responsibility, but the companies’ selling goods via the Temu platform do. Through the agreement, Retur ensures that the producer responsibility for a growing number of international and regional sellers on Temu is handled and financed on the same terms as for other companies operating on the Danish market.
Temu, in turn, educates and supports sellers in meeting their obligations, including registration, data submission, and payment. Therefore, the producer responsibility represents a substantial task for Temu, which must, among other things, establish an overview of products, item numbers and suppliers across markets.
“At Temu, we’re committed to making producer responsibility easy to understand and implement,” says a Temu spokesperson. “Our goal is to provide effective solutions that ensure all sellers on our platform contribute fairly, in line with regulations in Denmark and across the EU,” a statement from Temu reads.
New producer responsibility has increased focus on international actors
With the introduction of producer responsibility for packaging in Denmark in 2025, increased attention has been given to how producer responsibility is managed within an international trading structure, where goods are increasingly sold via digital platforms across national borders.
In this context, there has been concern about so-called free riders – actors that are not correctly registered or affiliated with a PRO and therefore do not contribute financially, leaving the cost in practice to be borne by other companies.
Preparations for the agreement have been ongoing between Retur and Temu since May 2025.
“Producer responsibility is based on everyone contributing on equal terms. When new rules enter into force and the market simultaneously becomes more international, it is crucial that foreign actors are also correctly covered. The agreement with Temu is an important step in ensuring that producer responsibility also functions in practice when sales take place through international e-commerce platforms,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen.
Retur is Denmark’s largest family of producer responsibility organisations and is behind, among others, Elretur, Emballageretur, Batteriretur, Tekstilretur and Fiskeriretur. Together, these PROs cover producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment, packaging (including single-use plastics), batteries, fishing gear and textiles, supporting several thousand companies in Denmark.
Retur also collaborates with Nordic and European PROs on managing producer responsibility across markets. The ability to consolidate the handling of producer responsibility across multiple product areas and waste streams was a decisive factor in Temu’s choice of Retur.
Further information
Contact: Camilla Falkenberg, Press and Communications Officer at Retur, mobile: +45 43 14 08 94 or email: cf@retur.dk.
Facts
- Producer responsibility means that companies are responsible for managing their products and packaging when they become waste.
- Producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment was introduced in 2005, for batteries in 2009, and for packaging and fishing gear in 2025. Producer responsibility for textiles is expected to be introduced in 2028. Producer responsibility also applies to vehicles, tyres and cigarette butts.
- The producer responsibility agreement covering sellers on Temu was entered into between Whaleco Technology Limited, the owner of Temu, and Retur in February 2026.
- The agreement covers producer responsibility for packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, textiles, fishing gear, single-use plastics and other waste streams
About Retur
Retur is Denmark’s largest family of producer responsibility organisations and helps companies comply with their statutory producer responsibility obligations in Denmark.
Retur consists of the PROs Elretur, Emballageretur, Batteriretur, Fiskeriretur and Tekstilretur. Together, these organisations cover producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment, packaging, batteries, fishing gear and textiles.
Through its PROs, Retur supports thousands of companies in managing their products and packaging when they become waste – from registration and reporting to practical waste management. The objective is to maximise reuse and recycling and ensure environmentally sound disposal when reuse is not possible.
Retur operates on a non-profit basis and builds on more than 20 years of practical experience with producer responsibility. The organisation has access to specialised expertise and collaborates with Nordic and European producer responsibility organisations with the aim of supporting a more circular economy.
In 2025, Retur, in cooperation with HJHansen Recycling, established Denmark’s first reuse facility for electrical and electronic equipment, Electronic Reuse and Recycling, focusing on reuse and preparation of electronic products for further recycling. Retur is also behind the public information campaign “Messing with the batteries” featuring actor Bodil Jørgensen.
About Temu
Temu is a global e-commerce platform connecting consumers with millions of manufacturers, brands, and business partners. Operating in more than 90 markets worldwide, Temu is committed to providing affordable, high-quality products that enable customers to live better lives.
