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EU lawmakers have taken a step towards easing some Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements for smaller businesses as retailers push for wider reform of rules under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Reduction (PPWR) requirements.

The European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety has backed changes to authorised representative requirements for EU-based micro and small enterprises - a move welcomed by EuroCommerce as a first step towards these reforms.

The association, which represents the retail and wholesale sector in Europe, has called for wider reform as it welcomed the proposals.

Authorised representative implementation requirements under the PPWR have exposed differences in national EPR and waste legislation across the EU, it noted.

Retailers argued that the resulting complexity could create new single market barriers, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses trading across borders.

On 5 October, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety voted in favour of the proposal concerning authorised representative requirements for EU-based micro and small enterprises under EPR rules covering batteries, packaging, textiles, footwear, electronics and single-use plastics.

A final plenary vote is expected before negotiations with the Council can begin, EuroCommerce added.

Environment Omnibus Proposal

The Council has also agreed to continue working on the Environment Omnibus proposal.

The retail and wholesale sector has urged the co-legislators to reach an agreement swiftly and give companies certainty over authorised representative requirements.

EuroCommerce also highlighted the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA), which it hopes will address regulatory fragmentation and align EPR and waste legislation across member states.

The association also called for proportionate secondary legislation under the PPWR, adding that authorised representative requirements are one of many practical hurdles facing businesses when implementing the PPWR.

Businesses still face uncertainty over how several provisions will be interpreted and applied, while forthcoming secondary legislation could add reporting, calculation and documentation requirements, it noted.

EuroCommerce also said that businesses will need clarity on how the PPWR will be applied and a 12-month grace period to address outstanding implementation problems.

Source

- esmmagazine.com (2026-10-07) - Original article: EU Moves To Ease EPR Requirements Under PPWR | ESM Magazine - https://esmmagazine.com/packaging-design/eurocommerce-welcomes-eu-lawmakers-move-to-ease-some-epr-rules-under-ppwr-323156