Glossary
EPR, defined.
Extended Producer Responsibility: who must register, report, and fund packaging waste, which scheme to use, and how fees are set.
13 terms
Authorised Representative (EPR/PPWR)
An authorised representative is a legal entity appointed to act on behalf of a foreign producer in a European country where that producer has no local corporate presence, handling registration, dat...
Distance Seller (EPR)
Yes, distance sellers have strict Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations under Regulation (EU) 2025/40, making them legally responsible for the packaging of products sold directly to co...
Drop-Shipper Liability (VerpackG)
Drop-shipper liability under the German Packaging Act, last reviewed 27 July 2026, refers to the legal principle that online merchants cannot outsource their environmental compliance duties.
E-commerce Marketplace Operator (EPR liability)
An e-commerce marketplace operator faces extended producer responsibility (EPR) liability when third-party sellers on their platform fail to meet environmental compliance requirements.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy principle that shifts the cost and operational burden of end-of-life waste management from municipalities and taxpayers onto the businesses that p...
Free-Rider
A free-rider is a company that places goods on a regulated market without registering or paying its statutory recycling fees, unfairly avoiding the environmental costs that compliant competitors ca...
Household Packaging
Household packaging is any packaging that typically ends up as waste in private residential households, as opposed to commercial or industrial settings.
Marketplace Gatekeeper Liability (EPR)
Marketplace gatekeeper liability refers to environmental rules that hold online platforms legally responsible if their third-party sellers skip compliance obligations.
Pay-on-Behalf Compliance Mechanism (France EPR)
The pay-on-behalf mechanism is a French Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rule that legally requires online marketplaces to manage, report, and pay eco-contributions for any third-party seller...
Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO)
A Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) is an approved collective body that producers pay to organise the collection, sorting, recycling, and reporting of their packaging waste under national...
Subsidiarily Liable Entities (Spain EPR)
In Spanish Extended Producer Responsibility, subsidiarily liable entities are e-commerce platforms or first distributors based in Spain who become legally responsible for packaging compliance when...
Third-Party Seller Compliance
Yes, third-party sellers must secure their own Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) registration numbers to sell on e-commerce marketplaces, as platforms are now legally required to block non-com...
Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC
The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC is the primary European Union law that defines what constitutes waste and establishes the legal basis for extended producer responsibility and the waste hie...