Compliance deadline approaching – submit your declaration of completeness by 15 May
Companies with high packaging volumes have a legal obligation to submit a declaration of completeness (DoC) by no later than 15 May each year for the previous year to the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR). The DoC must be checked by an auditor registered with the ZSVR's register of auditors.
Who has to submit a declaration of completeness?
If your packaging volumes for the previous year meet or exceed at least one of the following thresholds, you must submit a declaration of completeness:
Glass: 80,000 kg
Paper, paperboard, cardboard (PPC) in total: 50,000 kg
Ferrous metals + aluminium + plastics + beverage cartons + other composites (lightweight packaging) in total: 30,000 kg
What do you need to bear in mind?
What is the purpose of a declaration of completeness?
Companies submit a declaration of completeness to confirm that they have duly participated their packaging with a system, paying for the recycling of their packaging and assuming producer responsibility. This creates transparency. The main goal of the provision is to ensure that companies fully and properly comply with the system participation requirement and to establish a level playing field.
About the ZSVR
We are all about fairness and transparency. Our mission is to reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment and ensure that packaging recycling costs are covered.
Since the Verpackungsgesetz (Packaging Act) entered into force, we have served as an authority to foster greater control and competitiveness in packaging recycling. That is only possible when financial interests are aligned and companies take responsibility for covering the costs of recycling their retail, grouped and shipment packaging. As the ZSVR, our task is to establish a level playing field and ensure that everybody is playing by the rules.