EPR fundamentals
A locally established entity appointed to carry a foreign producer's EPR obligations in a market where the producer has no establishment.
Where a producer sells into a market without a legal establishment there, most EU member states require the appointment of an authorised representative established locally. The representative registers, reports and pays on the producer's behalf and is the point of contact for the regulator.
Appointment is formal: a mandate document, a registration in the producer register, and in several countries notification to the authority. Using a freight forwarder or customs agent informally does not satisfy the requirement.
The producer remains commercially responsible for data accuracy. A representative can file a return but cannot verify tonnage it never sees, so data quality obligations stay with the producer.
The legal entity responsible for registering and paying EPR fees on packaging, usually the brand owner and otherwise the importer or first seller.
The French term for an accredited producer responsibility organisation, licensed by the state to collect EPR fees for a defined waste stream.
The legal moment when packaging first becomes available in a jurisdiction, determining which entity and which year the obligation falls in.
Packgine resolves your packaging to component level and applies the rules of every market you sell into.