New German Packaging Act: data reporting now possible

Cologne. From now on, retailers and manufacturers who bring sales packaging into circulation can fill in their volume of packaging and name their dual system in LUCID – the database of the Central Agency Packaging Register (CAPR – Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister). In return, retailers and manufacturers will receive a registration number from the CAPR. They must then present this number to the dual system in which they participate with their packaging.

Reporting this data is an important step with regards to the new German Packaging Act (VerpackG), which comes into force on January 1, 2019. According to this law, everyone who brings packaging filled with goods into circulation for the first time in a commercial capacity must register with LUCID. From January 2019 on, the database will offer a publicly-available index of all registered businesses. This is aimed at ensuring transparency and fair rules on the market.

In addition to the obligation to register, all affected retailers and manufacturers must participate in a dual system and, in doing so, contribute to the costs of waste management and recycling of the packaging – or risk facing severe penalties. “Those wishing to avoid these penalties in the future should get their ‘licence to package’ today“, says Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH. “Last but not least, this is also an important contribution towards the conservation of resources and environmental protection.” Interseroh offers retailers and manufacturers who are affected by this a way to carry out their licensing in a quick and uncomplicated manner with the Lizenzero online shop (www.lizenzero.de).

All packaging must be licensed
Independent of business size, volume of packaging or type of packaging, the specifications of the Packaging Law relate to all packaging materials, which typically end as waste at the private consumer’s home. This means that product packaging, secondary packaging, service packaging and mail-order packaging (incl. packaging aids and padding materials) all come under the umbrella term of ‘sales packaging’.

When it comes to simple, uncomplicated packaging licensing at a fair price, the Lizenzero online shop offers all affected retailers and manufacturers not only comprehensive background information, but also a calculation tool. Using this tool, the business owner enters the number of items of the packaging types required every year with just a few clicks. This information is used to automatically calculate the corresponding total packaging weight, which can then be licensed directly. “We have tried to keep the red tape to a minimum so that affected retailers and manufacturers can quickly get back to focussing on their business“, says Müller-Drexel.

About Lizenzero:

Lizenzero is a shop brand of the environmental services provider Interseroh, who has been active for more than 25 years, and who fulfils the requirements of the Central Agency Packaging Register (Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister) and of the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) as a nationwide established dual system in accordance with Paragraph 18 VerpackG. With a view to problem-free handling of the VerpackG coming into force on 1 January 2019, the online shop is focussing particularly on smaller (online) dealers and manufacturers that have so far had little experience with packaging licensing in a dual system. The features of the website distinguished by Trusted Shops include a calculation tool that makes it easier for the user to quickly calculate their individual packaging quantities, an individual participation record, a resource protection certificate, an online seal that the customer can use for his outward communication, and an extensive FAQ that answers questions about the VerpackG.

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