The EPR compliance policy countdown is coming, and failure to complete will result in sales restrictions and fines

Major e-commerce platforms require sellers to complete EPR upload

As European countries (mainly Germany and France) and major e-commerce platforms promote the implementation of EPR compliance policies, EPR compliance has also become a hot topic of discussion among cross-border e-commerce sellers in 2022.

In fact, since last year, some platforms have successively required sellers to complete EPR upload. As of now, several major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress, Wish, eBay, and Dunhuang.com have forced sellers on the German and French sites to complete EPR compliance.

Recently, eBay and DHgate.com have once again issued EPR upload requirements. If sellers fail to complete the German EPR upload before July 1, the sales of goods in the store will be restricted and they may even be fined.

On April 19, Dunhuang.com issued a "Notice on the Time-Limited Upload of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Qualifications", requiring all sellers to complete the upload of the German EPR before July 1 this year.

Sellers need to register online according to the product types in their stores and the countries they sell to, and provide a valid unique identification code corresponding to the EPR product category. If this is not submitted or the review fails, the sales of the products in the store may be restricted and fines may be incurred.

In addition to DHgate, eBay also released the new German EPR regulations on April 21. If you sell packaged items to German buyers, sellers must comply with the German Extended Producer Responsibility Packaging Act. This regulation applies to all corporate sellers who send goods to German delivery addresses. The upload deadline is also before July 1, 2022. The EPR regulations of eBay France came into effect at the end of February this year.

It is understood that the Amazon platform released relevant compliance requirements for EPR at the end of last year. In February and March of this year, Amazon issued announcements to further clarify that sellers on the French and German sites must complete the EPR registration application and obtain the relevant registration number before July 1, 2022 to prove the compliance of the product. It is understood that Amazon also provided sellers with a verified EPR application registration service provider in the announcement.

AliExpress also launched EPR compliance requirements on its French and German sites in January and April of this year respectively .

What should I pay attention to when registering for EPR?

EPR is an environmental policy that requires producers to be responsible for the entire life cycle of the products they put on the market, from product design to the end of the product life cycle (including waste collection and treatment). This policy clarifies the responsible parties in the waste recovery, recycling and final disposal of products from production to consumption.

In most cases, EPR is just a general term that involves multiple categories. In order to implement EPR, different countries have formulated corresponding laws and policies. Therefore, the categories and regulations involved in EPR are different in different countries. For example, in Germany, the categories involved in EPR include electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and packaging. In France, in addition to the above three categories, EPR also includes furniture, textiles, tires and printing paper.

The category that eBay is requiring sellers to complete EPR registration for is packaging. According to eBay’s announcement, this involves sellers who send packaged items to Germany and export packaged items to Germany. Sellers need to complete the registration of product packaging, outer packaging for transportation (including filling materials and cushioning materials) and service packaging (such as handbags).

German Packaging Law stipulates that the seller's packaging must meet three requirements: register and file with a producer responsibility organization; register through the "LUCID" register, obtain an EPR number, and provide the number and packaging quantity information to the producer responsibility organization; provide the seller's producer responsibility organization name and registered packaging quantity information through LUCID.

eBay said that sellers can register by themselves or designate a third-party service provider to assist in the registration. Currently, there are more than two months left before the final upload deadline, so sellers need to hurry up and complete the registration.

Although eBay only mentioned the requirements for packaging categories on the German site in this announcement, it does not rule out the possibility of EPR registration for other categories in the future. In addition, the registration period for electrical and electronic equipment and batteries in Germany is relatively long, usually 4-12 weeks, so sellers still need to be prepared for EPR registration for other categories.

Dunhuang.com requires sellers to complete the registration and upload of EPRs for all specified categories in France and Germany. It should be noted that different EPR product categories have separate registration numbers, and EPR registration numbers in different regions are not universal. Sellers need to confirm the categories involved in their products, apply for EPR registration numbers for different regions and categories, print relevant information on the products and packaging, and report regularly on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, and renew and maintain.

EPR compliance has been implemented, and sellers have another cost expenditure

At present, EPR compliance is only mandatory for sellers selling in Germany and France . As policies of different countries advance, more regions (especially in Europe) may be involved .

For cross-border sellers , the implementation of EPR policies in each region means an increase in costs. After all, in addition to the registration and declaration fees, in order to maintain EPR, sellers also need to bear the cost of product recycling (the recycling fee depends on the category and weight of the product), and profits will naturally be affected. If EPR registration is not carried out, product sales will be restricted, and the store may even face huge fines.

Most sellers expressed distress about this part of the increased costs. However, from another perspective, the platform's requirement for sellers to complete EPR registration is the result of the continuous compliance of e-commerce platforms and the increase in consumers' low-carbon awareness.

In recent years, as the concept of low-carbon living has spread and gained recognition from overseas consumers, overseas consumers have a stronger sense of identity with "low-carbon" products. Many surveys show that overseas consumers are more willing to support "low-carbon" brands and products. Overseas, large companies such as Amazon and Walmart have also made "low-carbon" commitments. Many brands will also emphasize their efforts to "low carbon" in their publicity and product packaging.

After completing the EPR registration, sellers are equivalent to obtaining a "low-carbon" certification, which can make consumers feel close and strengthen their trust. This is also a good thing for product sales and the establishment of brand image.

With the tightening of e-commerce platform regulations and the rise of various costs, the previous extensive development model has also fallen into a dilemma. This has put forward higher requirements for sellers to operate in a refined manner. Only by investing more energy, understanding the needs of consumers and the market, and controlling operating costs can they go further.

EPR Compliance

Amazon

eBay

AliExpress

Dunhuang Network