From January 1, 2025, Germany will enforce a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation targeting single-use plastic products. This will affect sellers on Amazon and similar e-commerce platforms, with the goal of enhancing eco-friendly waste management and curbing plastic waste.
New Guidelines for Single-Use Plastic Sold Through Online Marketplaces, Effective from 2025 in Germany
Public
Germany
Author: Stefan Ditrih
Category:
Fiscal subject related
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572
Content accuracy validation date:
15.07.2024
Content accuracy validation time:
00:00h
The EPR regulation will impact:
- Manufacturers
- Importers
- Distributors
of single-use plastic items. Sellers are required to adhere to the EPR mandates and provide their registration details to Amazon prior to the January 1, 2025 deadline. Listings that fail to comply will be removed post-deadline.
Single-use plastic (SUP) products are defined as items entirely or partially made of plastic that are not intended for repeated use. This category includes:
- Food storage containers
- Flexible material bags and wrapping
- Drink containers up to 3 liters
- Cups for beverages, along with their tops and lids
- Thin plastic shopping bags
- Moist towelettes for cleaning or personal care
- Consumer balloons
- Tobacco-related products with filters
You're deemed a producer if you:
- Operate within Germany and produce, fill, retail, or bring in SUP items.
- Sell SUP items to German customers from abroad via remote communication methods.
Compliance steps that need to be taken:
- Sign up with the German Environment Agency's Single-Use Plastics Fund platform (DIVID):
- Registration is currently open for German producers.
- Producers outside Germany can set up accounts starting April 1, 2024, and register beginning August 1, 2024.
- Enter your registration numbers on Amazon's Compliance Portal (set to launch between Q3 and Q4 of 2024).
- From 2025 on, annually report your SUP product sales to DIVID by May 15 and remit the associated environmental charges.
Key dates to remember:
- April 1, 2024: Account creation opens for non-German producers on DIVID
- August 1, 2024: Registration begins for non-German producers on DIVID
- Q3-Q4 2024: Launch of Amazon's Compliance Portal
- January 1, 2025: EPR regulation becomes active; non-compliant listings are to be deactivated.
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