EU Commission exempts pallet films from 100 per cent reusable obligation
This means that the strict reusable quotas for internal and national transport do not apply to specific packaging formats.
Read more " 
Consumer behaviour and therefore the amount of packaging have changed as a result of the pandemic. This particularly affects online retail and to-go consumption. To ensure fairness and a level playing field in the disposal and recycling of packaging, the amendment to the Packaging Act now also places greater responsibility on these sectors.
At a joint press conference in Munich, Gunda Rachut, Chairman of the Central Agency Packaging Register Foundation (ZSVR), Astrid Teckentrup, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Procter & Gamble DACH, and Dr Sven Spork, Head of Public Affairs, both Chairmen of the Board of Trustees of the ZSVR, spoke about the effects and challenges for the packaging industry. ZSVR, industry and trade. Important keywords here were a Fair competition and transparency. The amendment to the Packaging Act on 1 July 2022 will focus primarily on online trade and to-go consumption. The ZSVR has already recorded tens of thousands of registrations from China alone, which shows that the Dismantling distortions of competition has got underway is.
The coronavirus pandemic in particular has led to a The rapid growth of online retail and to-go consumption led. In 2020, the number of shipments exceeded the four billion mark per year for the first time. Electronic marketplaces are playing an increasingly important role. A trend reversal is not to be expected. In the course of the plastics debate, supposed paper packaging is being developed which, however, makes little sense from a recycling perspective. The irreversible changes in packaging consumption have presented legislators with new challenges.
„The market for consumer goods and their packaging has changed significantly in recent years. From the number of product managers to the number of units sold to shipping, everything has grown and the packaging is made from new materials. This means that product responsibility must grow with it.“
Gunda Rachut, Board of the Central Agency Packaging Register
No more exceptions
In order to achieve the objectives of the waste hierarchy, the packaging recycling market requires the following as a first step More transparency, fairness and a level playing field. With the amendment to the Packaging Act and the associated, extended registration obligation the legislator has already come a long way. The new regulations also take into account the importance that online retail has and will continue to have in consumer behaviour.
„Many mail order companies have so far ignored the fact that they have to pay for the recycling of their packaging. The new registration obligation increases the pressure to fulfil their product responsibility.“
Gunda Rachut
In future, electronic marketplaces will have to check whether the online retailers who sell their goods on their platforms are complying with their obligations. If the retailers violate the legal provisions, the marketplaces may no longer allow them to sell their goods. A similar regulation applies to fulfilment service providers.
Distributors of pizza boxes, coffee-to-go cups, bread roll bags, butcher's film and all other packaging that is filled with goods at the point of sale or at markets (service packaging) must be registered in the LUCID packaging register. This means that the Legislators have reacted to the developments of recent years and taken account of the boom in to-go packaging.
More registrations from abroad
The registration figures in the LUCID packaging register demonstrate that companies from Germany and abroad are realising their obligations as a result of this new regulation. Over 3,000 new registrations from all over the world are currently being added every day. Disproportionately from the Asian region due to the online retailers there, but also from the USA, The UK and all other European countries - proof that the regulations promote a level playing field.
„Once again, the Packaging Act and the associated development of the LUCID digital packaging register have shown that Germany has set international standards and created the conditions for product responsibility 2.0.“
Gunda Rachut
Changes at international level
The EU is further developing its packaging directive. Reusable quotas, defined standards for the recyclability of packaging and the expansion of the use of recyclates are expected. This poses challenges for industry and retailers, who will have to adapt to new reporting obligations, among other things. In order to Balance between environmental protection, fair competition and efficiency To achieve this, it is necessary to take the lean and digital solution of the German packaging register as a model. „Only with a great deal of transparency and digital technology can we succeed in increasing product responsibility in an efficient and competition-neutral manner,“ says Gunda Rachut.
Source: ZSVR
Further news on laws and regulations
BfG warns of loss of freshness due to PPWR requirements
According to vegetable growers, the lack of exemptions could lead to reduced shelf life, loss of freshness and increased food waste.
Read more " 
EPA tightens PFAS regulation for packaging
For manufacturers and processors, this means potentially more precise recording of PFAS applications along the supply chain.
Read more " 
AVU criticises lack of recycling incentives
The Alliance Packaging and Environment evaluates the draft for a new Packaging Law Implementation Act.
Read more " 
VerpackDG: What will change with the new Packaging Act
With the new VerpackDG, the German government is setting the course for the implementation of the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR). From massively expanded approval obligations and binding waste prevention budgets to ambitious recycling quotas from 2028 - find out here what bureaucratic and financial changes your company will face from 12 August 2026.
Read more " 
New packaging law passed
On 11 February 2026, the Federal Cabinet adopted the draft for a new Packaging Law Implementation Act (VerpackDG).
Read more "