eBay are calling on EU SMEs to sign a petition to lobby the EU to simplify EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) schemes. If you are an EU based eBay seller, you can add your voice to the petition.
eBay explain that there’s a new EU waste management framework is in the pipeline which would oblige SMEs to go through a multitude of complex EPR registration procedures before completing sales in the EU. Companies selling products covered by EPR rules to buyers in other EU countries are liable for EPR obligations in the buyer’s country. This creates a massive administrative burden, multiplied by the number of countries and product categories and eBay point to Ecommerce Europe, who have totted up the cost:
Today, a small and medium sized enterprise intending to sell 1 mobile phone unit in each of the current 28 EU markets could face administrative costs equivalent to €140,000.00, while the actual recycling fees can be as low as €0.01. To fulfil these administrative requirements, up to 300 reports have to be submitted every year, which equal to almost 40 working days per year to comply with e-waste, batteries and packaging rules.
– Ecommerce Europe
eBay are calling on EU policymakers to deliver EU Waste Management rules that safeguard access to the EU Single Market for all European small businesses while contributing to the objectives of the Green Deal. They are asking for:
- An EU one-stop shop for EPR compliance
- Micro-company exemptions and/or de minimis in volumes of products sold
- Allow online marketplaces to help their sellers by formally recognising that they are not “producers”
If you are based in the EU you can sign the Safeguard small business access to the European Single Market through efficient waste management rules petition here.
If you are based in the UK, or elsewhere around the world, EPR is one to watch as it’ll impact you even more if you want to continue to sell into the EU.
