Legislators make online marketplace operators responsible.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf Waste separation and a one-way deposit were once intended to stop the misery, but the mountains of used pizza boxes, used coffee capsules and empty Coke cans continue to grow unchecked in Germany. The recycling rate has increased by 0.5 percentage points annually over the past five years, as calculated by analysts from Ibis World – to 68.7 percent most recently. However, the amount of packaging waste has increased by an average of 1.3 percent over the past five years.
With a per capita consumption of 228 kilograms of packaging waste, the Germans are the front runners in Europe.
From July 1st, the legislature will therefore launch another counterattack: With the new version of the Packaging Act, it prohibits online marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay or Alibaba from tolerating providers on the portals who do not publicly report their packaging volume. Violations can result in fines of up to 200,000 euros.
There is a proven principle behind the project. Since 2019, common consumer packaging has had to be registered on the publicly accessible “Lucid” portal, which is operated by the Central Packaging Register Office (ZSVR). “Lucid” works indirectly like a pillory: Companies that are missing from the list can easily be recognized and reported by competitors.
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So far, however, this has only worked to a limited extent in online retail. “So far, many mail order companies have ignored the fact that they have to pay for the recycling of their packaging,” says ZSVR board member Gunda Rachut. “With the new obligation to register, the pressure to meet your product responsibilities increases.” Even before the new regulations came into effect, 200,000 other online providers had already registered with “Lucid”. A total of 366,000 companies are now registered there.
To-go providers are also affected
But it will not stay with online retailers until July 1st. From then on, every company that puts packaged goods into circulation in Germany must register with the ZSVR, stating the respective type of packaging and tax number.
This also includes providers of take-away menus, to-go drinks, roll bags or butcher foils. In addition, coffee stations and snack bars that are larger than 80 square meters and employ at least five people must offer all customers reusable tableware from the beginning of 2023.
Commercial and industrial companies also have to report transport packaging to “Lucid” from July, which makes the work of the central office considerably easier. “Previously, we had to check in individual cases whether there was a registration requirement for the respective packaging,” says Rachut, “from July all packaging simply has to be reported.”
Sven Spork, Head of Corporate Affairs at the Rewe Group, welcomes the tightening of the law. “The amendment creates a level playing field,” he says. Companies from abroad in particular have so far often avoided the obligation to register.
In view of the transport packaging, which accounts for almost half of the packaging waste in Germany, many manufacturers are now also pushing for standardized reusable systems. “We are currently testing blue plastic crates for our Gillette brand, which are returned to us by retailers,” reports Astrid Teckentrup, CEO of Procter & Gamble Germany. The Cologne standardization company GS1, which once established the uniform barcode throughout Europe, supports the consumer goods industry in this project.
Bonus system for advantageous packaging
In the future, the Central Office for Packaging Registers could be faced with even greater tasks. The EU is currently working on a stricter packaging guideline, which will reward the recyclability of packaging. Composite packaging that is difficult to recycle, such as beverage bags, could then be given a penalty, while PET containers that were as colorless as possible could be given a bonus.
However, because this has to be done uniformly across Europe so that manufacturers do not have to offer different packaging in individual EU countries, the way there seems to be a long one. “There are still quite a few questions to be clarified,” reports ZSVR board member Rachut on request.
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