# Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations > How the EU packaging rules of August 2026 make you, the seller, responsible for EPR registration in every country you sell to. Canonical URL: https://printeers.com/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations · Published: 2020-12-10 **Updated 01-10-2026** Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations make companies responsible for the packaging waste they cause, such as envelopes, shipping bags and boxes. In practice, this means registering with the authorities in each country where your packaging ends up, reporting how much packaging you put on the market, paying recycling fees and printing the right recycling symbols on the packaging. The EU packaging rules changed on 12 August 2026 and are still changing. This article explains what that means when you sell products that we produce and ship for you. ## What changed on 12 August 2026 The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ([PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en)) has applied since 12 August 2026. It replaces the old packaging directive and applies directly in every EU member state, so the same core rules now apply everywhere. The parts that matter most for online sellers: - **The producer is the seller.** The producer is the company that first makes a packaged product available in a country. For distance sales, that is the seller, not the company that packs and ships the parcel. Fulfillment providers only have a duty of care for the packaging they handle. - **You register in every country where you make packaging available.** Selling into a country where you are not registered is not allowed. - **Sellers established in another country appoint an authorized representative.** The representative handles registration and reporting in that country on your behalf. - **Marketplaces must check your registration.** Etsy, Amazon and similar platforms are required to verify that sellers hold a valid EPR registration number for each country they sell to. This is why they ask you for your numbers. Several member states already worked this way before the PPWR. Germany has treated the seller as the responsible producer since July 2022, even when a fulfillment provider packs and ships the order. Sweden and France apply the same logic to distance sellers. ## Keep in mind: the rules are still changing The PPWR is new and not every part of it is settled. The national producer registers are still being set up, the harmonized EU label does not exist yet, and a proposal to suspend the authorized representative requirement for EU-based sellers is still being debated in the European Parliament. Member states are also still adapting their national laws. We follow these developments and will change our policies when needed. If that affects you, we will update this article. For questions about how this applies to your orders, [contact us](https://printeers.com/support/contact). ## Who is responsible: you Under these rules, you are the responsible producer for the shipping packaging of the orders we ship to your customers, in every country you sell to. Printeers is your fulfillment provider, not the producer. Do not rely on our registrations to cover your sales. ## Why we cannot share our EPR numbers Marketplaces and platforms may ask you for an EPR registration number per country. We cannot give you ours. An EPR registration is issued to one legal entity and can only be used by that entity. Our numbers cover the packaging that Printeers itself puts on the market. They do not cover your sales, and you are not allowed to use them. Every seller needs their own registration and their own numbers. ## What Printeers does We continue to do the following: - **Registrations and fees.** We are registered with LUCID (VerpackG, now VerpackDG) in Germany, with Léko in France and with Näringslivets Producentansvar (NPA) in Sweden. We report the packaging we put on the market in these countries and pay the fees. - **Recycling symbols.** All of our own packaging carries the recycling symbols and labels these countries require. These registrations cover our own obligations. They do not replace yours. Because responsibility is shifting from the fulfillment provider to the seller, we will likely scale back some of these registrations in the future. We will announce any change in advance and update this article. ## What you should do 1. **List the countries you sell to.** The obligations apply per country, based on where your customer receives the parcel. 2. **Register in each of those countries.** Registration goes through the national producer register or a producer responsibility organization (PRO) in that country. Some countries have a small-seller exemption, such as Sweden's turnover threshold, while others, such as France, have none. Check the rules per country. 3. **Appoint an authorized representative where needed.** If you sell directly to consumers in a member state where your company is not established, the PPWR requires an authorized representative there. Many PROs and compliance providers offer this service. 4. **Report and pay.** Most schemes ask for a yearly report of the packaging you put on the market, by material, and charge fees based on it. If you need the packaging weights of your shipments for a report, ask us. 5. **Give your numbers to your marketplaces.** Once you have your registration numbers, add them to your seller account on Etsy, Amazon or any other platform that asks for them. Missing numbers can block your sales to that country. We are not legal advisors. The rules differ per country and per product, so verify your obligations with the authority or PRO in each country, or with a compliance specialist. ## Recycling symbols on your own packaging If you supply your own packaging or stock packaging in our warehouse, it must carry the recycling symbols required in the countries you ship to. The EU is working on one harmonized label, but it will not be mandatory before 12 August 2028. Until then, the national labels remain in force. Two examples: ### French recycling symbols ![French recycling symbol for cardboard boxes](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-fr-cardboard-box.9f29c5e0.189.jpg)![French recycling symbol for plastic bags](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-fr-sac.5c175b77.189.jpg)![French recycling symbol for bubble envelopes](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-fr-bubble-envelope.1ff15df5.355.jpg) ### Italian recycling symbols ![Italian recycling symbol for paper](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-it-pap.30324bbb.160.jpg)![Italian recycling symbol for LDPE plastic](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-it-ldpe.04ec62fd.160.jpg)![Italian recycling symbol for paper](https://printeers.com/media/support/shipping/extended-producer-responsibility-regulations/epr-regulations-it-pap-2.30324bbb.160.jpg)