Extended Producer Responsibility
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules vary from one country toanother. For example, in terms of the definition of the liable party in thepackaging supply chain, the related obligations (registration, reportingfrequency and deadline and financial contribution) and the penalties andrewards for packaging design. Depending on the country, a companydecides to comply with the EPR rules on its own by establishing a reverselogistics system (i.e.be self-compliant), or it is possible to register andtransfer its take-back obligations (collection and recovery of packagingwaste) to a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO).If a companyopts for contracting with a PRO, in some countries several organizationsare active and in competition: choosing the right one is important, as thefees and reporting processes may vary from one organization to another.
Labelling and marking requirements
These requirements vary greatly among countries as well and there are nouniform rules.The Green Dot logo is an example of the complexity forbusinesses to remain compliant with labelling in many countries, as this logo is currently mandatory in Spain and Cyprus, encouraged in severalEU countries, and discouraged in other countries like France.
National versus international compliance
Compliance complexity further increases through the national evolutionsover time: between 2o19 and 2o21, there have been many changes
Corrugated Machine regarding packaging obligations: e.g. new marking
Corrugated Box Machine requirements in Italyand Portugal, an extended producer registration scope in Germany, or theintroduction of eco-modulation in the EPR fees system of Czech Republic.The changes will not stop here, with for instance the new upcoming
obligation for 2o24 requiring all EU countries to ensure that EPRschemesare established for all packaging types.
How to overcome the challenge and ensure compliance?
To ensure your company is compliant, you first need to understand the restrictions, obligations and associated risks and centralize this information at Group level. This requires learning and reviewing all the relevant legislations and obligations of each country in which your packed product is placed on the market. This screening must be executed considering all the packaging components, types, materials and characteristics.
Secondly it is important to understand how to comply with the take-back obligation, through adhesion to a PRO or independently by a reverse logistics system. Regular monitoring of updates in the legislation should be realized to identify how it may affect your business and operations and ensure you remain compliant over time.
Finally, rethinking your packaging strategy is also a necessary step to meet your obligations as more and more eco-design criteria are integrated into national legislations and could also benefit your business in avoiding additional taxes or reduce costs because of lower EPR-fees charged for the new packaging design. This Corrugated Carton Machine will allow you to meet new customer expectations. In general, working with suppliers along the entire value chain is becoming a best practice to reduce your carbon footprint. A sustainable portfolio is a key solution as packaging represents on average 12% of the carbon emissions (scope 3) of a company active in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector.
