New EU Packaging Rules: First Retailers Halt Shipments to Other EU Countries

From goal to burden

Aileen Akin, who comes from Lower Austria and sells her handmade vegan bags as a micro-entrepreneur, has decided against this additional burden. She will stop shipping to other EU states because she cannot manage the requirements either financially or organisationally. Speaking to the STANDARD, she explained: "Was mir besonders Kopfschmerzen bereitet, sind die Bevollmächtigten". She stresses that her legal form as a micro-entrepreneur under Austrian law should not be confused with the German micro-enterprise status.

The Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce is watching the trend with concern. President Sonja Zwazl already spoke in the spring of a "massive Belastung" for small businesses. Industry representatives such as Christoph Schreiner, managing director of the Lower Austrian textile retailer Mode-Müll, are also calling for amendments to the regulation. Schreiner warns that many retailers could be excluded from the EU single market without adjustments, which would distort competition and restrict consumer choice.

Legal experts see unclear situation

Another point of criticism concerns the confusing legal situation. Wilfried Baumann, legal expert at the Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce, points out that each EU country interprets the regulation slightly differently. While the authorised representative rule applies in Austria, different obligations for packaging licensing apply in some cases in Germany. Retailers would therefore have to seek separate advice for each market, driving costs even higher.

Consumers in Germany and Austria are already feeling the effects. Anyone searching the internet for handmade bags, cosmetics or food supplements from small manufactories is increasingly finding the notice: "Versand nur innerhalb Deutschlands" or "Lieferung nur nach Österreich". For customers, this means a more limited selection; for retailers, a growing market segment within the EU is disappearing.

Consequences for consumers

The EU Commission argues that the regulation is necessary in order to standardise packaging recycling across Europe and strengthen the circular economy. In the long term, binding quotas are intended to ensure that fewer new packaging is produced and that existing packaging is reused more effectively. Whether the goals will be achieved also depends on whether small businesses manage the leap into the new regulation or whether they – as in Akin's case – decide to withdraw.

The coming months are considered decisive. The EU member states must transpose the regulation into national law by the end of 2026. In Austria, the Climate Protection Ministry is working on a corresponding draft, which, according to Zwazl, could still leave room for relief for micro-enterprises. Until then, industry observers expect a further wave of retailers restricting or abandoning their international shipping offerings.