Extended Producer Responsibility, usually shortened to EPR, is the principle that whoever puts packaging or certain products on a market pays for collecting and recycling them. Several European countries apply it, and Amazon checks compliance for the stores where the law makes marketplaces responsible for doing so.
This guide explains the basics for the two countries that matter most for Amazon sellers today, Germany and France. It is an overview, not legal advice: requirements depend on your products, and it is worth confirming your situation with a specialist.
Which product groups EPR covers
- Packaging: almost every seller is affected, because boxes, fillers, bags and labels all count.
- Electrical and electronic equipment: anything with a plug or a battery usually falls under WEEE rules.
- Batteries: including batteries built into products.
- Other categories in some countries: France, for example, has EPR schemes for furniture, textiles and other product groups.
Germany: the Packaging Act and LUCID
Germany’s Packaging Act (Verpackungsgesetz) applies to every business that first places filled packaging on the German market, including sellers based outside Germany. Being compliant involves three steps:
- Register in LUCID, the public packaging register run by the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister. Registration is free and gives you a registration number.
- Join a dual system (Systembeteiligung). This is a contract with a licensed provider who organises the collection and recycling of your packaging, priced by material and weight.
- Report your quantities to the dual system and in LUCID, so both records match.
Amazon asks for your LUCID number for the German store. Without a valid number, listings can be restricted.
France: unique identification numbers
France applies EPR across a wider range of product groups. For each relevant scheme, a producer registers with an approved organisation (an eco-organisme) and receives a unique identification number (UIN). Amazon asks for these numbers for the French store, per product category that falls under EPR.
What Amazon checks
In Seller Central you can add your EPR registration numbers in the compliance section for each affected country and category. Amazon compares them with the public registers. Missing or invalid numbers can lead to restricted offers in that marketplace, so it is worth adding them before you start selling, not after a warning.
A simple compliance checklist
- List every marketplace you sell in or plan to open.
- For each one, check which EPR schemes apply to your products and packaging.
- Register, join the necessary schemes and keep the registration numbers in one place.
- Add the numbers in Seller Central for each country and category.
- Set a reminder for the reporting deadlines of each scheme.
Where EPR fits in a European launch
EPR is one of several rules to settle before you sell in Europe, together with product safety under the General Product Safety Regulation and VAT registration. If you would rather not set up a European company for all of this, our Merchant of Record service explains another route. For the operational side, see our guide to Pan-European FBA.