The German Packaging Act has been in force since 2019. It requires manufacturers and (online) sellers to purchase a paid licence for their sales packaging – i.e. all packaging that ultimately ends up with German private consumers – from a dual system and therefore comply with their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In addition, registration with the Central Agency Packaging Register Authority (ZSVR) is mandatory.

As of July 2022, marketplace operators are obliged to check the compliance of its merchants with these requirements.

Important: These above-mentioned requirements apply from the first packaging put into circulation and for all materials.

Do you ship to German costumers? Then you need to do the following if you are not yet legally compliant:

 

German Packaging Act: Your To Do's

Licensing

Start by licensing your packaging with a dual system provider. Use Lizenzero to do this through Interseroh+ (and claim your 5% discount!) –
go here to enter your packaging volumes and start getting licensed today

✔ You’ll receive your system participation certificate to confirm your compliance

Registration

Submit your information to the LUCID Packaging Register run by the Central Agency Packaging Register.

✔ You’ll receive your LUCID registration number (EPR number) to pass on to Etsy

Data reporting

Enter the volumes you licensed and your dual system into the LUCID Packaging Register.

✔ You're done!

Get licensed now

Packaging law, EPR, licensing & registration
The most important questions at a glance

What does EPR mean?

EPR stands for "Extended Producer Responsibility". The underlying principle makes merchants and manufacturers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products and related components, including their disposal, in the service of environmental protection.

In Germany, packaging, electrical appliances and batteries are covered by the Extended Producer Responsibility of those who put them into circulation in this country.

The current high level of attention on the EPR is essentially due to the amendment of two laws: the Packaging Act (VerpackG) and the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG). In the future, both will oblige marketplaces to check the compliance of their dealers with regard to the requirements. In this context, marketplace operators speak of EPR as a collective term for all three aspects.

Since the marketplaces' obligation to monitor compliance with the Packaging Act will come into effect as early as July 2022, they are currently communicating the relevant requirements to their sellers. The control obligation for electrical appliances will follow from January 2023.

Which obligations do I have to fulfill according to the Packaging Law?

The Packaging Act imposes three obligations on sellers who ship packaged products to German end consumers:

  1. Licensing of your annual packaging volumes with a dual system (also called system participation). For this purpose, you can use Lizenzero, the online shop of the recognized dual system Interseroh+. Etsy sellers get 5% off the licensing fee when they use ETSY5*: Enter volumes now
  2. Registration in the government packaging register LUCID
  3. Data reporting the name of the dual system you participate in and the licensed packaging volumes to the government packaging register LUCID
  4. Submit your LUCID ID to any marketplace you sell on (including Etsy)
Why do I have to prove to my marketplace that I fulfill my obligations with the German Packaging Act?

The Packaging Act was amended in July 2021. One of the changes in the law affects the operators of marketplaces: In order to create an additional control mechanism, they will have to check from July 2022 whether merchants who ship to Germany comply with the requirements of the Packaging Act.

If the merchant is unable to provide proof of compliance, a sales ban may take effect and the marketplace operators may have to restrict sales to Germany.

What is the difference between "license" and "register"?

The Packaging Act formulates a total of three obligations for merchants of packaging in Germany (also see question #2). These include a licensing obligation (also known as the system participation obligation) and a registration obligation.

Both obligations must be fulfilled at two different contact points:

  1. The licensing obligation refers to the requirement of licensing your packaging through a dual system such as Interseroh+ (via Lizenzero). After paying fees, Interseroh+ takes over the disposal and recycling process of your packaging for you.
  2. The registration obligation, refers to your required registration of your business and tax information with the authority Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, through the government packaging register LUCID.

You must verify compliance with the licensing obligation by entering the name of your dual system and your licensed packaging volumes in LUCID.

What our customers say about working with Lizenzero

Moritz Bauer- Managing Director
minjo Coffee

As a young start-up, the topic of packaging licensing was new to us. We compared different providers and ended up with Lizenzero. For us, Lizenzero simply made the most likeable and best impression. We liked the website and the design and the price-performance ratio was also right. The calculator was also very cool, it was all set up simply and went super easy. It just fit.

Viola Kukclinski-Hagewiesche - Owner
ViolasWollWerk

Lizenzero made the issue of packaging licensing totally easy for me. I clicked through the site, click click, and the licensing was done. This made this part super easy for me during the difficult time of founding a company. That was the decisive point why I chose Lizenzero.

Philipp Rodemann - Managing Director
FAIRFITTERS

Everything was just right for us with Lizenzero: From the price-performance ratio to the positive customer reviews to the easy handling through the calculator.

Cathrin Tach - Managing Director
Pappsalon

We are a small company, so we can't make a doctoral thesis out of the Packaging Act. With Lizenzero we have landed a stroke of luck - manageable and the licensing does not require more time than absolutely necessary.

Anja Rausch - Business Development Manager
Pick-a-Pea Bio Food

What we like about Lizenzero, apart from the appealing structure of the website, is the simple handling of registering packages. It saves us a lot of time and is cost-efficient. The fact that we have found a partner from the region in Lizenzero makes us even happier!

Christian Koch - Owner
BLUMEN-KOCH BERLIN

As florists, we surround ourselves with beautiful things every day - the appealing presentation of Lizenzero corresponds to this one to one. The fact that the store also keeps the office catie effort as narrow as possible and nice and simple, then gave the final tipping point for Lizenzero.

Katrin Lange - Owner
Naturzwerge Kidswear

Thanks to Lizenzero packaging licensing was very easy. With the self-explanatory documentation of how to license I was guided very quickly and easily through each step. All in all it took me only 10 minutes to complete the process and register my shop. Terrific!

Nico Meisner - Managing Director
Buster Surfboards

We can recommend Lizenzero without reservation. We have looked at several providers. We chose Lizenzero because they make it easiest for customers to see through the packagingG and the signup / registration on the website is very simple and fast.

Peitz -
Managing Director
Holzspielzeug Peitz

Interseroh has given me all the information I need about packaging licensing. The company’s long experience speaks for itself, and I can be sure that Interseroh will help me to fulfil my obligations from the German Packaging Ordinance and the new German Packaging Act. And I can also get everything done easily online!

Beatrice Rittelmeyer - Managing Director
Leithner's Shop

I have only a limited amount of time and cannot afford to spend day after day working out my packaging licensing. At Lizenzero, I was guided step-by-step through the registration procedure. Registration is completed in just a few clicks. And the price is very fair, too. The peace of mind from knowing my packaging is licensed means I can focus once again on my customers.

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Frau Annette Mustermann

Frau Annette Mustermann
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*Voucher valid until 31.12.2024. Discount on net value of goods. No payout possible. One voucher per order and customer redeemable. No combination with other discount campaigns possible. Subsequent redemption not possible. The legal process is excluded.