Attention, e-commerce dealers: new legislation will be coming into effect from 2019
Effects of the German Packaging Act +++ Trusted Shops Survey: More than a third of the surveyed online retailers have never heard of the new law +++ Environmental service provider Interseroh explains the consequences
+++ Trusted Shops Survey: More than a third of the surveyed online retailers have never heard of the new law
+++ Environmental service provider Interseroh explains the consequences
Cologne. From 1 January 2019, e-commerce retailers will be threatened by substantial penalties according to the new German Packaging Act (VerpackG). According to a current survey of Trusted Shops among 700 online retailers, more than a third of those surveyed had not heard of the new law and one out of two (49 percent) did not yet know what changes the law will bring.
According to the new Packaging Act, every manufacturer and retailer that sells packaged goods to private end-consumers has to participate in a dual system with a licence. Every competitor and customer can also consult a public register to see whether a company is registered for the purpose of VerpackG. Licensing is already compulsory from the first sent package. And: The obligation to participate in the system affects not only shipping packaging made of paper, cardboard, or plastic, but also those made of glass or metal.
Licensing is quite simple, though, such as through Lizenzero, for example, (www.lizenzero.de), the new online shop of the environmental services provider Interseroh. Here, retailers and small companies can register with just a few clicks and thus fulfil their mandatory participation in accordance with the new Packaging Act from 2019 on. The amount that is to be paid to the dual system depends on the annual packaging quantities and the packaging material used. As a rule of thumb: The fewer packages that are brought into circulation the smaller the fee.
A calculation example of Lizenzero shows (see adjacent graphic): If an online retailer ships, for example, 2,500 cardboard boxes (size S), including packing tape and filling material made of paper, the licensing amount is 49.00 Euros (subject to alteration of prices). That is equivalent to just under 0.02 Euros per parcel. Due to the inclusion of this amount of packaging in the dual system and the subsequent recycling, 530 kilograms of primary resources are saved.
“It is important to explain the new Packaging Act and the duties resulting from it”, says Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH. “Many manufacturers and retailers do not know the new regulations, but still want to act in compliance with the law, of course. Lizenzero comes in here as a simple, uncomplicated, cheap, and above all legally watertight solution.”
About Lizenzero:
Lizenzero is a shop brand of the environmental services provider Interseroh, who has been active for more than 25 years, and who fulfils the requirements of the Central Agency Packaging Register (Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister) and of the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) as a nationwide established dual system in accordance with Paragraph 18 VerpackG. With a view to problem-free handling of the VerpackG coming into force on 1 January 2019, the online shop is focussing particularly on smaller (online) dealers and manufacturers that have so far had little experience with packaging licensing in a dual system. The features of the website distinguished by Trusted Shops include a calculation tool that makes it easier for the user to quickly calculate their individual packaging quantities, an individual participation record, a resource protection certificate, an online seal that the customer can use for his outward communication, and an extensive FAQ that answers questions about the VerpackG.
Free use of the attached picture is authorised, provided the source "ALBA Group" is acknowledged.
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About Interzero:
Interzero is one of the leading service providers in the field of closing product, material and logistics loops as well as innovation leader in plastics recycling with the largest sorting capacity in Europe. Under the guiding principle of “zero waste solutions”, the company supports over 50,000 customers throughout Europe in the responsible handling of recyclable materials, thus helping them to improve their own sustainability performance and conserve primary resources.
With about 2,000 employees, the company achieves a turnover of over one billion euros (2021). According to Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Interzero’s recycling activities could save one million tonnes of greenhouse gases compared to primary production and more than 8.7 million tonnes of primary raw materials in 2022 alone. As a pioneer in the circular economy, Interzero is winner of the German Sustainability Award as well as the related special award in the “Resources” transformation field for 2024.
Further information can be found at www.interzero.com.