Digital Sustainability Summit: New requirements in EPR, ElektroG and PPWR

At the Bitkom Digital Sustainability Summit, Meike Ruoff and Stefanie Kutzera from Bitkom Compliance Solutions presented key regulatory developments currently affecting many companies.

ElektroG: New obligations for collection points

Companies that qualify as distributors will in future have to clearly mark collection points. The requirements are defined in detail, for example with regard to visibility and format. In practice, however, many companies have not yet fully implemented these provisions.

Packaging and batteries: Growing complexity

In the areas of packaging and batteries, requirements are significantly increasing. New pictograms, the planned prohibition of national labels from 2028, and additional labelling obligations are leading to growing complexity. At the same time, regulatory requirements are increasingly influencing product design, for example through the obligation to make batteries removable and replaceable.

Textiles: Expanding producer responsibility on the rise

The planned extension of producer responsibility to textiles makes clear that EPR will in future cover further material streams. Examples from other European countries show that this trend is set to continue.

Conclusion: More coordination, more complexity

These regulatory developments show that sustainability and product responsibility are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary issues. Companies must adapt their processes, systems and products at an early stage in order to comply with these requirements.