Belgium requires online marketplaces to verify EPR compliance of sellers

Starting from 29 March 2025, new legal obligations will apply in Belgium. Operators of online marketplaces will be required to ensure that producers and importers (“sellers”) offering electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) via their platform comply with the extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations. 

Specifically, marketplace operators must obtain appropriate proof from their sellers – for example, affiliation with a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) or an approved individual waste management plan in each of the regions. Furthermore, operators are obliged to submit a list of all sellers, including their registration numbers, to the Flemish environmental authority OVAM each year by 1 March at the latest. 

If a seller is not affiliated with a PRO or does not comply with the EPR obligations, the operator must either refuse access to the platform or choose to assume the EPR obligations of the seller themselves. These rules apply to all online marketplaces offering EEE to consumers in Belgium, regardless of whether the platform is based in Belgium or abroad. 

The aim of this measure is to strengthen extended producer responsibility within the EU and to ensure proper collection and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment – a framework that has already been introduced in countries such as Germany and France. Operators of online marketplaces are therefore encouraged to review their internal processes and implement appropriate procedures to ensure EPR compliance.