Implementation of the amendment to the Packaging Act

Since 03 July 2021, the amendment to the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) has been in force and brings additional obligations in the handling of industrial, transport and commercial packaging. Violations can be punished with fines of up to EUR 100,000. It is therefore all the more important to bring oneself up to date now and to understand and implement the new rules. RIGK customers are in a good position, because the requirements are already met by joining the RIGK recovery system. Where this is not the case, e.g. for transport or other packaging, RIGK offers advice on meeting the requirements as a service.

The German Packaging Act stipulates that industrial and commercial packaging as well as transport packaging must also be taken back and recycled. For manufacturers or sellers of packaged industrial or commercial products, the amendment results in an information, verification, registration and financing obligation.

The information obligation has already been in force since 3 July 2021 and means that buyers of packaged goods must be informed about the possibility of returning packaging at the time of sale. Being part of the RIGK recovery system, the licensed sales packaging bears the RIGK logo, which clearly indicates the return option when the empty packaging is accumulated. RIGK customers usually already pass on the service to commercial end consumers via customer information on the website, delivery papers or flyers.

From the beginning of 2022, the documentation obligation obliges manufacturers of products and those who redistribute them to provide evidence of the type, material and quantity of packaging placed on the market. The fulfilment of the take-back obligation must then also be verifiably documented. RIGK records and documents the data and prepares suitable and audited documentation for its customers, which can be used for submission to the competent state authorities.

From mid-2022, the extended registration obligation will also apply to industrial and commercial packaging. Manufacturers and distributors of the products will then be obliged to register in the LUCID system of the Central Packaging Register (ZSVR). This is being created and is not to be confused with the LUCID system, which has already existed since 2019, in which manufacturers and distributors must register for their house hold packaging. The name of the company, the types of packaging and the brands distributed must be reported. RIGK licensees already report to RIGK the packaging types covered in the recovery system annually. At the same time, they can also transmit the now required information on the sales, repackaging and transport packaging as well as packaging for hazardous substances to the ZSVR without any additional effort.

Within the framework of the financing obligation, all manufacturers and subsequent distributors of packaged products in the supply chain must also ensure the take-back and recycling of their packaging financially and organisationally from mid-2022. For RIGK's customers, this regulation has no further impact, as they fulfil precisely these obligations by joining the RIGK recovery system.

If you want to escape the increased administrative burden caused by the amendment of the Packaging Act, get in touch with us. We will inform you about the advantages of a contract with RIGK without obligation.

More information:
RIGK GmbH
Claudia Hoese
Customer Relationship Manager / Public Relations Manager
Friedrichstr. 6, 65185 Wiesbaden
Phone: +49 611 308600-12, Fax: -30
hoese(at)rigk.de; www.rigk.de

Editorial content, voucher copies:
Konsens PR GmbH & Co. KG
Dr. Jörg Wolters
Im Kühlen Grund 10
D-64823 Groß-Umstadt
Phone: +49 (0) 60 78/93 63-0, Fax: -20
mail(at)konsens.de; www.konsens.de

This information is a brief summary of the new obligations resulting from the amendment of the German Packaging Act. It does not claim to be complete and does not constitute legal advice.