Online retailers have four weeks left for EPR registration

July 1, 2023 is a deadline for all retailers active in electronic marketplaces as well as those working with fulfillment service providers.

Electrical equipment must be registered in accordance with the WEEE Directive in the country where it is sold, otherwise the legal EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) requirement for these products is not met. Manufacturers, distributors and importers of electrical equipment must therefore be registered with the relevant authorities and pay a fee to ensure that the costs of collecting and disposing of their products are covered.

Operators of online marketplaces and fullfilment service providers are required to verify that dealers have correctly registered their products. This regulation applies to traders regardless of whether they are established in Germany or abroad.

The operators of the online marketplaces and fulfillment service providers check compliance with the requirements via the individual EPR/WEEE number that the dealers receive after completing registration with the responsible authority, e.g. stiftung ear in Germany. If this is not available by the mentioned date, there is the threat of both the blocking of the articles or even the blocking of the entire account on the respective platform. In addition, there is the threat of fines and warnings, as missing registrations constitute an administrative offense.

Currently, Amazon, eBay and similar platforms require their merchants and customers to provide proof of proper registration for their products. Amazon has already set a deadline of June 5, 2023, and justifies the earlier deadline by saying that time is needed to deactivate non-compliant merchants. For all other platforms, the deadline is July 01, 2023.

Within this time, a corresponding registration application must have been submitted and granted. Fast action is therefore required from dealers, as e.g. ElektroG registration with the EAR foundation can take up to six weeks. The weee full-service accompanies you in the process to a legally compliant and speedy registration of your electrical equipment within and outside of Germany and advises on detailed questions within the scope of the Compliance Consulting.