EPR thresholds by country
EPR thresholds by country
As waste directives came into force in Europe countries implemented local legislation for regulating waste turnover. This mainly concerns large manufacturers and importers, but in some countries, the registration threshold is low or equal to zero. Distributors of electrical and electronic equipment have other waste obligations.
For more information, you can refer to the table of the lower threshold for registration under the Waste Handling Directive.
Table of the lower threshold for registration under the Waste Handling Directive
Country |
Packaging materials yearly |
Year turnover |
| Austria | 0 | 0 |
| Belgium | 0,3 tons | 0 |
| Bulgaria | 0 | 0 |
| Croatia | 0 | 0 |
| Cyprus | 2 tons per material | 0 |
| Czechia | 0,3 tons | Kč25M |
| Denmark | N/A | N/A |
| Estonia | 0 | |
| Finland | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 |
| Greece | 0 | 0 |
| Hungary | 0 | 0 |
| Iceland | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | 0 | €200k |
| Latvia | 0,3 tons | 0 |
| Lithuania | 0.5 tons | 0 |
| Luxemburg | 0 | 0 |
| Malta | 0.1 tons | 0 |
| Netherlands | 50 tons | 0 |
| Norway | 1 ton | 0 |
| Poland | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 |
| Romania | 0 | 0 |
| Slovakia | 0 | 0 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 0 | 0 |
| UK | 50 tons | £2M |
What is EPR for packaging
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a mechanism of economic regulation, according to which the manufacturer and importer of goods are obliged to dispose of the products they have produced or imported into the country at the end of their life cycle after the loss of consumer properties.
The EPR for packaging will come into force in 2023. This will significantly increase the responsibility of manufacturers for the packaging of their products, and optimize production. The purpose of the introduction of the bill is to encourage the reduction of the use of materials that are hard to recycle, as well as to strictly control the collection and recycling of packaging when it becomes waste.
This will also increase the amount of easily recycled packaging materials and will have a positive impact on the environment.
To learn more about EPR for packaging and its positive impact on the environment, you can read the article on “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): new European obligations for e-commerce sellers who pack orders”.
Who will be obligated under EPR
EPR compliance is usually the responsibility of one entity, either the importer or the brand owner. Laws vary from country to country, so if you are a business owner or importer, please note the threshold limit for EPR registration, which may be different (exact data is shown in the table):
- Company’s year turnover (for example, in Finland is 1 million euros);
- The amount of packaging for which the company is responsible during the calendar year (for example, in Cyprus it is from two tons of packaging materials per year).
Companies that carry out any of the packaging activities listed by the government are also subject to the EPR. Note, that not all EU countries have an absolute threshold – many countries have this value set to zero. This means that the company is subject to the law regardless of the income or turnover of packaging products.
For a comprehensive understanding of EPR obligations and thresholds across different countries, you can refer to the articles on “EPR in France (toys)“, “EPR in France (Sport and leisure goods)“, “EPR Packaging Germany“, “EPR Sweden“, and “EPR packaging obligation in Austria: registration & reporting“.
To register for EPR and ensure compliance, click here.