March 2022 Newsletter
Newsletter: March 2022
France Labeling Obligations for Household Products
According to the French Anti-waste Law and the respective Decrees published on the 29th of June 2021, producers placing Household products obligated under EPR on the French market are required to mark their products with the Triman symbol and the accompanying harmonized sorting information, as approved by the French Authorities.
The products affected are:
- Household WEEE
- Portable Batteries and Accumulators
- Household Photovoltaic Panels
- Household Lamps
- Household Packaging
On the 15th of December 2021, the French Authorities approved harmonized sorting and return information that will accompany the Triman logo for the first four product categories. After thorough consultations, the respective eco-organizations confirmed the finalized format and issued the labelling guidelines for producers in mid-January 2022. The packaging information was approved earlier in 2021, with a slightly different format than the other four product categories.
The Triman symbol and the sorting information became mandatory on all household products as of 2022, though there is an extended period for producers to bring products into compliance. Please contact us for more information on the new requirements.
Phase 6 of the UK WEEE DTS is Up and Running!
Under the UK WEEE Regulation, household WEEE distributors are obligated to provide a free of charge, one-for-one basis take-back option to private end-users. This requires the distributor to take any product back for recycling when a private end-user buys a product that fulfills the same function, regardless of the EEE brand or its original seller.
Distributors have two compliance options to fulfill this requirement:
- Offer in-store take-back of WEEE on a one-for-one basis or
- Join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS)
DTS is an approved scheme by the UK government that has been running in two-year phases since 2007. The most recent phase (Phase 6) runs from the 1st of January 2022 through December 2023. Being a DTS member exempts distributors from the obligation to provide in-store one-for-one take-back. The DTS increases the rate of WEEE collection, reuse and recycling in the UK while making complying with take-back requirements feasible for foreign and online distributors. Accerio assesses clients for distributor obligations on an ongoing basis and makes recommendations on the best compliance options. Please contact us for more information on the DTS and compliance in the UK.
Marketplaces’ New Role in EU EPR Compliance
Marketplaces are online platforms that enable businesses to offer their products for sale under their own name, risk, and liability, directly to end-users and resellers. The marketplace acts as an intermediary, providing a platform to bring sellers and buyers together to conclude sales contracts in which the marketplace itself is not party.
Unfortunately, online retail through marketplaces has been a common sales channel of non-compliant or ‘freeriding’ producers in the EU. Addressing this has been discussed in the EU for many years and is a stated priority in the preparation of the 2023 Waste Framework Directive. Though no official guidance has been published by the EU, a few member states have proactively defined the marketplaces’ role in the EPR compliance framework.
Beginning the 1st of January 2022, France AGEC law established that marketplaces hosting obligated products are required to comply with the French EPR legislation on behalf of the producers selling through the platform or ensure the producers themselves are compliant. In response to these requirements, most marketplaces require evidence or supporting documentation of the producer’s compliance for each applicable EPR waste stream as a condition to sell through the marketplace.
In Germany, the German Packaging Act, VerpackG, details a supervisory role for marketplaces over their vendors’ packaging compliance. Third parties who sell through an online marketplace are required to provide their EPR registration number to the marketplace. If the producer fails to provide this information, the marketplace is obligated to ban them from selling through their platform.
In both examples, marketplaces face significant fines if they fail to follow these requirements. Accerio is monitoring the development of EU-wide legislation and, in the meantime, similar measures that are expected to be adopted by other countries.
Draft of a Circular Economy Law for Mexico
The Mexican Senate approved the Circular Economy General Law draft on 18 November 2021, now under review of the Environment and Natural Resources Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. The law would promote the efficient use of products, services, materials, energy, water, and secondary raw materials, by means of clean manufacturing and principles of reuse, recycling, and redesign. Mainly, the purpose is to transition from a linear to a circular economy in Mexico.
If approved, the Law will create the following obligations for EEE and packaging producers:
- Packaging producers must prepare and file a Circular Economy Plan and EEE producers must have a Waste Plan in place with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (“SEMARNAT” for its acronym in Spanish).
- Producers will need to meet consumer communication requirements as well as collection, recovery, and valorization rates that will be set in the secondary legislation.
- Producers must also consider minimum recycled plastic content goals for packaging, starting with 20% by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
Accerio will monitor the progression of the law and reach out to clients who are likely to be impacted by the requirements. The draft details significant sanctions for infractions to the law, so we encourage producers to contact us for more information.