Overview

Germany has activated its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for single‑use plastics, obligating every Amazon.de seller to register their brands, secure registration numbers, and feed those numbers into Amazon’s compliance portal. The deadline for compliance is approaching, and listings that do not meet the new requirements will be removed, making it essential for sellers to act now.

Key Points

• EPR registration is compulsory — Any seller listing disposable plastic items on Amazon.de must enroll each brand on the German DIVID system and obtain a unique registration number.
• Risk of listing removal — Amazon will automatically deactivate product pages that lack a valid registration number after the enforcement cut‑off, cutting off sales in the German marketplace.
• Annual data submission and fees — Registered sellers are required to report the type and volume of single‑use plastic sold each year and pay corresponding eco‑fees based on those quantities.
• Authorized representative needed for foreign sellers — Companies without a legal presence in Germany must designate a local representative who can handle registration, reporting, and fee payment on their behalf.
• Packaging counts too — Items that contain plastic components in their packaging—such as paper cups with a thin plastic liner—trigger the same EPR obligations as fully plastic products.
• Broad product scope — The rule covers a wide range of goods, from disposable cutlery and coffee cups to wet wipes, tobacco filters, balloons, and lightweight plastic bags.

How the EPR Process Works

1. Create a DIVID account — A manufacturer or brand owner located in Germany logs into the DIVID portal, inputs all relevant brand names, and selects the applicable single‑use plastic categories. For example, a vendor selling biodegradable coffee cups would register the “EcoBrew” brand under the “disposable beverage containers” category to receive a registration ID.
2. Obtain registration numbers — Once the brand entry is approved, DIVID generates a unique registration number for each brand‑category combination. Resellers who do not produce the goods themselves must request these numbers from their upstream suppliers; a seller of imported plastic cutlery would receive the supplier’s registration number and attach it to their own listings.