What is EPR number (Extended Producer Responsibility)?

EPR is an environmental policy that holds the party who first places an EPR-applicable product in the country (also known as the “producer” or an “importer”) responsible to cover the environmental impacts of their product for its entire life cycle from design to the end of its life (including waste collection, treatment and customer take-back).

In order to comply with EPR requirements you also have to:

1. register your business for EPR,
2. declare your sales (of products covered by the different EPR categories),
3. pay eco-contributions to the respective Producer Responsibility Organisation for the applicable reporting period,
4. for specific EPR applicable products, you must provide customers with a take-back option (Take-Back Programme).

EPR number in Germany and France

If you sell in Germany or France on Amazon or any other e-commerce marketplace, you need to obtain Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) number and provide it to Amazon:

• for packaging in Germany – starting December 15, 2021,
• from 2022 for WEEE in Germany and all EPR product categories in France.

Amazon will close your account if you don’t comply

In Germany, if you can’t prove your compliance with EPR to Amazon, it will be legally obliged to suspend your non-compliant listings under EPR product categories:

• Packaging (effective July 1, 2022),
• Electric and Electronic Equipment listings (effective January 1, 2023).

In France, non-compliant listings will be suspended, and Amazon will recover the cost of your eco-contributions.