The clock is ticking: Companies that sell their goods in packaging are legally obliged to conclude a system participation agreement for 2025 by 31 December at the latest and to report their planned packaging volumes to the ZSVR. Failure to do so will result in a ban on the distribution of their goods, fines and an entry in the central trade register.
The ZSVR makes it clear: defaulting companies not only jeopardise their business basis, but the entire packaging recycling sector. Too few companies are still contributing to the recycling costs. This is at the expense of those who behave in accordance with the law. The Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR) declares the end of all excuses: companies must act now.
All companies that produce, package or have goods packaged and place them on the market for the first time are obliged to conclude a contract with one of the system operators for 2025 by the end of the year and to deposit their packaging quantities in the LUCID packaging register. These include producers, trading companies, online retailers and many more. Without this contract, the systems cannot report packaging quantities to the ZSVR either.
Because recycling does not come for free. On the contrary, Recycling costs increase. One reason for this is the negligent separation behaviour of consumers. And that, despite extensive educational work by the systems through campaigns such as „Waste separation works“. The result: in order to sort out recyclable materials from the poor quality of the collection mix, the systems must invest more in modern sorting technologies.
Why recycling doesn't come for free
Overall, the costs of collecting, sorting and recycling packaging waste have risen significantly. The reasons for this include in the ambitious recycling quotas. The legislator has raised this in two stages since 2018. For plastics, for example, the quota rose from 36% to 63%, for paper, cardboard and carton (PPK) from 70% to 90% and for aluminium from 60% to 90%.
In addition, companies are increasingly replacing easily recyclable packaging with packaging made from poorly recyclable materials. Instead of monomaterials made of pure plastic or paper, they use composites, for example., where sorting and recycling are significantly more complex. The quantity of poorly recyclable or non-recyclable materials as well as the incorrect waste lead to increased energy recovery. Prices have risen significantly in some cases.
CO₂-Prices and plant fires increase recycling costs
Another cost driver is the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG), which has been in force since 2024 and regulates additional CO₂ prices for utilisation. Furthermore Revenues from the sale of recycled plastics fell significantly. This is because their use for new packaging and product applications is economically unfavourable compared to the use of new material. One current development is particularly worrying: Consumers dispose of lithium batteries in the wrong bins, causing fires in the sorting plants. The costs for the reconstruction of the destroyed facilities, the expansion of fire protection and the increased insurance premiums run into the millions.
More performance and service for everyone involved
The system operators have also significantly expanded their services in recent years. To Sorting and recycling recyclable materials from the collection mix even better, systems and plant operators have developed the technology considerably.
The ongoing changeover from yellow bags to yellow bins in the waste collection areas incurs further costs. On the one hand, the systems have to provide the bins. On the other hand, the proportion of incorrectly disposed residual waste in bins increases, which in turn reduces the quality of the collection mix.
More than compliance: companies must fulfil their environmental obligations
Together, everyone is called upon to keep recyclable materials in circulation for as long as possible. The dual system has proven its worth in the past. To ensure that this remains the case, companies are called upon to make their financial contribution. Not only the Packaging Act, but also European law obliges them to to assume product responsibility for the entire life cycle of their packaging. This means that they must conclude a system participation contract with one or more system operators for the packaging waste from their goods by the end of the year.
Time is pressing, the ZSVR has a precise overview of all missing reports on packaging quantities. Currently, over 70 per cent of the larger manufacturers still lack the corresponding confirmations. The ZSVR hands the offences over to the enforcement authorities. Companies face fines, entries in the central trade register and an immediate ban on the sale of their goods. Only if everyone fulfils their responsibility can the impact of packaging waste on the environment be reduced and closed loops established.
Source: ZSVR
