November 21, 2022
The abbreviation of EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility—a type of environmental policy requiring businesses to contribute when selling products that impact the environment in a way covered by the policy. EPR is typically accounted for on the impact of the product once it is used or when its life cycle ends.
More broadly, EPR aims at extending the producer’s responsibility to post-usage of the product, would that be recuperating the item, recycling it, or reducing its impact on the environment in other ways. However, in most cases, it is difficult to put these actions to practice, so there exists a payment system based on contributions to certified waste management organizations.
Paying EPR fees are crucial to online sellers using online marketplaces in Germany and France, even though the regulation is harmonized in the EU. EPR is due on sales of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, and certain types of packaging.
It is the duty of the seller to stay compliant with the EPR. However, Germany and France have made online marketplaces jointly liable for EPR. This is why online marketplaces require sellers to fill in their EPR numbers into their systems. In Amazon’s case, sellers that fail to fill in their EPR numbers when using the platform in Germany or France are suspended.
In a nutshell, EPR compliance covers three main steps:
From the beginning of 2022, in France, Amazon pays EPR on behalf of the seller. This means that sellers using amazon.fr do not need to register for EPR if the sales happen only in France (no goods are shipped to other EU countries).
If you want to find out more about EPR in France, Germany, and other countries—please reach out to our team. We will help you register, declare, and pay the EPR if needed.