FRN introduces Product Weight Protocol

The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) has launched a new Product Weight Protocol (PWP) today (30 October) to help charity reuse organisations meet regulatory and local authority requirements.

Due to the growing use of the tool, as of 1 November 2015, the FRN PWP, previously known as the FRN Average Weights List, will require the purchase of an annual licence from the FRN.

The licence has been agreed with and recognised by UK regulators, who will check PWP licences while carrying out their inspections on UK reuse and recycling operations.

Licence details

The FRN PWP is a list of the average weight of over 200 products; this list will be used by reuse and recycling organisations to ensure they provide UK regulators with the correct information of their operations.

The process of establishing the licence consisted of five months of research into weighing goods ranging from toys and electrical equipment to household and garden furniture.

The resulting data has now been approved for use by UK regulatory bodies and will come in to use in 2016.

What the PWP is used for

The list is used as a conversion tool for the number of items to the weight of items. This establishes the weight of goods reused from the UK household stream under waste and producer responsibility legislation.

Reuse and recycling organisations must purchase the licence that will allow the use of FRN PWP and is valid from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016.

Before a licence is granted, the FRN requires an expression of interest form to be completed in order to carry out checks on the relevant organisation to determine the appropriate fee and the use of the FRN’s data held in the PWP.

PWP licence fees

Licence fees are based on the individual organisation and the type of PWP data. Multi-user and distributor fees are conditional and calculated according to information provided by the licence. The fee, starting from £300, is dependent on the outcome of the FRN checks.

The FRN PWP will be available to all FRN members as part of their annual membership fee.

Monitoring the FRN PWP licence

The FRN will provide regulators with a list of current licence holders so that checks can be carried out periodically. If an organisation cannot provide a current licence agreement, they will be reported to the FRN, which will act accordingly.

Craig Anderson, FRN CEO, said: “We have been working with reuse operators to compile the PWP for the past five months, and would like to thank them for their invaluable input.

“Since 2003, when we initially created the list to support our members, we have seen the use of PWP grow and new organisations within the waste and resource sectors utilise it. The recognition of the PWP by regulatory bodies and the work required by us to keep the list updated has obliged us to formalise the agreement and request a fee paid for usage. The fee will allow us at the FRN to maintain the PWP to a high standard and will assist our continued work as a charity to support those living in poverty through the important act of reuse.”

Learn more about the FRN.