Since January 1, a new packaging law applies in Germany. It appears that this is by no means properly observed in many cases. Many entrepreneurs still lack the knowledge about the obligations.

Content of the Packaging Act

The aim of the packaging law "VerpackG" was to increase recycling quotas, distribute costs more fairly and encourage the use of ecological packaging. Under the new law, manufacturers and sellers of packaging are obliged to register with the new central packaging register: the Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister.

As an exporter, you may also have to comply with the new packaging law. The law in Germany places responsibility for recycling on everyone who is the first to put packaging on the German market.

German enforcement of the law

The packaging register is public and must ensure that companies also check each other. Companies must always indicate the type of packaging material they use. This data is compared with each other, so that any incorrect information can be found. Germany is always very strict when it comes to checking and enforcing the rules, during the last investigation many violations were found.

Fines

This week, the Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, as the supervisory authority, announced that they have found violations of the law and that they have reported these violations to the enforcement authorities. Around 2.000 companies now risk a fine. The maximum fine that can be imposed is around € 200.000.

Would you like to know more about the German packaging law "VerpackG"?

In order to help you and to provide more insight into the new German packaging law, we have listed a number of useful links below. Please note: these links are news articles written in Dutch.

Sources: RvO & STRICK

13 Sep 2019 at 4:21 pm

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