Since late 2018, companies have been able to use the catalogue database provided by the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR) to check whether they need to finance their packaging’s recycling. Doing so is required for any packaging that typically accumulates as waste with private final consumers, i.e. when it’s subject to system participation.
Searching for a product in the catalogue: system participation requirement – yes or no?
Using the catalogue is simple and results are clear. Companies can use a full-text search to find the products they sell and see if their specific type of packaging is subject to system participation. The search results are broken down by packaging quantity, type and material. To make sure concentrated expertise is available where it is needed, the ZSVR has included links within the catalogue to past classification decisions. Key terms are also explained in quick informational texts.
Specific cases do not set rules
A holistic approach: classifying packaging does not hinge on any specific case, sector or distribution channel. What matters is what the catalogue says about whether the packaging for a product mostly accumulates as waste with private final consumers in the market as a whole. The catalogue of packaging subject to system participation is based on analyses by GVM Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung mbH (GVM).
Initial drafting and development of the catalogue in German
The vast majority of the goods sold in Germany come from Germany. Fast-moving consumer goods from the food and beverage sector or online retail in particular are responsible for a great deal of packaging. According to a study by GVM, companies located in Germany place roughly two thirds of packaging on the German market. That is why the ZSVR initially prioritised the largest market by publishing and expanding the catalogue of packaging subject to system participation for most consumer goods in German.
English catalogue provides for greater legal certainty for companies located outside of Germany
Over the past several years, the market for goods has grown more international. Whether ham from Spain, electronics from China, cheese from France, potatoes from the Netherlands or medical products from all over the world, packaged products from abroad are placed on the German market all the time. That is why the ZSVR is offering the catalogue in English, effective immediately. By doing so, it is removing language barriers and providing for legal certainty for both international companies and multipliers, such as foreign chambers of commerce supporting their members in meeting requirements.
Ms Gunda Rachut, Chair of the ZSVR: “Publishing the catalogue in English is an important service for companies located outside of Germany, making it even easier for them to fulfil their packaging law obligations. It is a milestone in the evolution of the ZSVR. At the same time, it also represents an important step towards creating a level playing field. No company will be able to claim that it does not know that it is placing packaging subject to system participation on the German market.”
You can access the product search in the English catalogue here.