Overview

Amazon .de has introduced a mandatory check for sellers to demonstrate adherence to Germany’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules covering single‑use plastic packaging. Effective immediately, any seller who cannot provide the required registration details will see the affected listings removed, making compliance essential for continued sales in the German marketplace.

Key Points

• DIVID registration required — Every brand that places single‑use plastic items on the German market must be entered in the official DIVID portal; for example, a cosmetics brand using plastic squeeze tubes must create a DIVID account and record the product line.
• Seller Central submission — After obtaining the DIVID registration number, sellers upload it through the new EPR compliance tab in Seller Central; Amazon typically validates the entry within five business days.
• Annual reporting and contribution — Sellers must file a yearly statement of quantities sold and remit the corresponding eco‑contribution fee to DIVID, such as paying €120 for 10,000 units of plastic‑wrapped snack bars.
• Authorized representative for foreign sellers — Companies based outside Germany need to designate a German‑resident representative who can receive official correspondence and manage the EPR filings on their behalf.
• Risk of listing deactivation — Listings that lack a valid DIVID number or an appointed representative will be automatically suspended, as happened to several non‑compliant sellers in the first rollout week.

How EPR Compliance Works

1. Create a DIVID account and register each brand — The seller signs up on the DIVID website, selects the applicable single‑use plastic categories (e.g., packaging, disposable cutlery), and receives a unique registration number; a German‑based kitchenware brand obtained “DE‑12345” for its plastic utensil line within two days.
2. Enter registration numbers in Amazon’s EPR dashboard — Using the Seller Central “EPR Compliance” section, the seller inputs the DIVID numbers for each SKU; Amazon’s system cross‑checks the numbers and sends a confirmation email, typically within the five‑day review window.