take-e-way News and Press Releases

E-cigarettes require three registrations: As applicable, a WEEE or ElektroG registration is required for the vaporiser, a battery registration for the rechargeable battery, and a packaging law registration and licence for the packaging. The regulations under tobacco tax law regarding mandatory packaging, the prohibition of packaging and tying, as well as the use of tax stamps also apply without restriction to substitutes for tobacco products (liquids).

“We source 90% of our goods from [...] distributors who are offering the products on a commercial scale on the German market for the first time. Amazon nevertheless requires us to provide evidence that our products meet EPR regulations, so we will probably have to ask every single one of our suppliers for the evidence in question.”

Similar to the extended producer responsibility for electrical/electronic equipment and batteries, the new provisions of the law will require all non-Austrian companies (both in the EU and outside the EU), who sell directly to private end-users, to appoint an authorised representative for their put on market packaging starting 1st January 2023.

In the UK, despite Brexit, the Plastic Tax Act has been in force since 1 April 2022. Italy and Portugal have also already passed legislation on the plastic tax.

The Environment Committee of the Bundesrat is against a reclassification of old boilers and hot water storage tanks in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), as the current classification of these appliances in the category of heat transmitters is not erroneous or disadvantageous, according to the Committee’s recommendation.

In a separate statement, Sweden welcomes Spain’s intention to give a further boost to engaging in the circular economy but emphasises that the draft will make it more difficult to export goods to Spain as companies will need to adapt the packaging of their products to the new, unilateral requirements.

As is already the case for electrical appliances, batteries and packaging, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is also to be formulated for textiles.