Glossary
Producer register
Also called: packaging register · EPR register
What it means in practice
Being on it is what allows packaging to be made available in that country at all, so it is usually the first thing to deal with. Each country runs its own, under its own name, with its own form.
The rules that give it meaning
A producer has to register in every country where it first makes packaging or packaged goods available, or where it unpacks packaged goods without being the one who uses them. Until that registration is in place, it may not do either of those things in that country. Where a country allows it, an authorised representative registered there can hold the registration instead.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Art. 44(2) and Art. 44(4) — read from this source on
The single EU-wide reporting format that does not exist yet
No start date yetThe rules ask the European Commission to set one common format for registering and reporting packaging, and gave it a deadline of 12 February 2026. That has not happened. Once it does, countries get 18 months to build registers that match it. Until then, registering and reporting works the way each country already does it, and there is no common EU format to prepare for.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Art. 44(1) and Art. 44(14) — read from this source on
Commonly got wrong about this
Registration happens separately in each country where a business counts as the producer. For goods sent abroad, that means selling straight to the people who use them. Selling there without registering is not allowed.