Ireland
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging in Ireland
Packaging EPR in Ireland is built on the European Union (Packaging) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 282/2014, as amended 2022 & 2023) and the Circular Economy Act 2022, which transpose the EU Packaging Directive and require producers to finance collection and recycling of all packaging they place on the market Compliance is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while the not-for-profit scheme Repak is Ireland’s sole approved body for household & commercial packaging (licence 2021-2025) . This framework - commonly labelled EPR Ireland- underpins national recovery targets and supports Ireland packaging recycling ambitions.Who must register for packaging EPR in Ireland
-
Manufacturers/packers based in Ireland who first place packaged goods on the market
-
Importers or intra-EU acquirers bringing packaged products into Ireland
-
Distance-selling companies with no Irish establishment, which must act via an authorised representative
What the package includes
All primary, secondary and transport packaging made of: paper/cardboard, plastics (PET & HDPE bottles, films, etc.), glass, metals (steel & aluminium), wood and composites falls within EPR packaging Ireland once first marketedThreshold
A business becomes a “major producer” and must join Repak when both:
-
> 10 t of packaging is placed on the Irish market and
-
> €1 million annual turnover is recorded
Below either limit, firms still keep records and must register with their local authority, but no Repak fee is due.
EPR registration procedure in Ireland
EPR Packaging registration in Ireland consists of the following steps:-
Open a Repak membership account (online form) and submit last-year tonnages by material
-
Sign the Repak contract and pay the one-off joining fee; Repak issues a member number—evidence of EPR registration Ireland
-
Upload bi-annual statistical returns (see Reporting Deadline) and settle eco-fee invoices
-
Display the Repak logo or number on invoices/websites and retain data for six years for EPA/local-authority audits
Authorized representative
Non-Irish producers selling directly to Irish consumers must appoint an authorised representative resident in Ireland to carry out all Environmental Protection Agency EPR duties - registration, reporting and fee payment - on their behalfReporting deadline
-
H1 (January – June)
• Submit the half-year data to Repak by 21 August of the same year
• An estimated invoice is usually issued in January -
H2 (July – December)
• Submit the data by 21 February of the following year
• The adjustment invoice follows in July
Who assumes responsibility?
-
German manufacturers / packers carry full producer responsibility as soon as a product is first sold on the German market
-
Importers or intra-EU acquirers assume the same full liability at customs clearance, unless the item has already been registered upstream
-
Foreign distance sellers become liable—acting through a Germany-based authorised representative—once they dispatch a direct B2C shipment to a German consumer
-
Take-back systems (e.g., GRS) take on the operational tasks of collection, recycling and reporting from the moment the membership contract is signed
-
Stiftung ear (together with the German Environment Agency, UBA) maintains the central register, performs data checks and imposes fines where non-compliance is detected
Duties of each group
-
Producers / importers: join Repak, submit bi-annual weights, pay eco-fees, keep records, and co-operate with audits - core to Ireland packaging recycling success
-
Authorised representative: hold Irish CRO/VAT number, maintain mandate, file all returns and receive compliance correspondence
-
Repak: achieve EU recycling targets (overall 65 % by 2025; plastic 50 %) and publish performance in its annual report (2023 plastic rate = 69 %)
-
EPA/local authorities: inspect producers, publish guidance and can seek fines up to €3 000 on summary conviction or up to €500 000 on indictment for serious breaches