New from rules from 2025

Manufacturer responsibility for packaging

Producer responsibility for packaging means that companies that produce, import or sell packaging or packaged products are responsible for handling the packaging waste.

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Legislation

The legislation on producer liability for Packaging is provided for in The Packaging Ordinance.

See the announcement

Webinars

We regularly hold webinars where we review the rules of producer responsibility and answer questions from companies.

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FAQs

Get answers to the most common questions about manufacturer responsibility for packaging and get an overview of your obligations.

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Examples

What is packaging?

Packaging includes all products used to contain, protect, handle, deliver or present goods.

Packaging can be made of many different materials, including cardboard, plastic, glass, metal or wood, and covers everything from transport packaging to sales packaging and disposable packaging.

A bottle of wine (glass bottle, cork stopper, metal neck, paper label)

Packaging made from recycled material (e.g. cardboard boxes)

Pawn bottles are regulated by a separate legislation

Europallets (belongs to recycled packaging)

Also applies to foreign companies

Who is covered Packaging producer responsibility

Companies making packaging available on the Danish market for the first time are covered by producer responsibility. This applies to manufacturers, importers, distributors and companies that have packaging produced under their own name or brand.

Producers

Manufactures and makes available packaging directly on the Danish market. For example, a Danish company that produces cardboard boxes for retail.

Importers

Imports packaged goods or empty packaging to Denmark. For example, a company that imports empty glass bottles from abroad.

Remote sales companies

Sells packaged goods directly to Danish end users from abroad. For example, a foreign webshop that sends products in packaging to Danish customers.

Administrative trifle limit

Less than 8,000 kg per year

There is an administrative minimum limit of 8 tonnes of packaging (8,000 kg) per year.

If your company makes available underneath 8,000 kg of packaging per year, you still have to register and pay environmental contributions, but you can only make one single report for all packaging across material types.

If the company exceeds 8,000 kg, a detailed report must be made, calculating the quantities for each type of material such as cardboard, plastic, glass, metal and wood.

Not automatically exempt

Micro-enterprises

Micro-enterprises are not automatically exempt from producer responsibility, but if the packaging is produced in the name of the micro-enterprise by a Danish subcontractor, the micro-enterprise does not have producer responsibility.

If, on the other hand, the micro-enterprise imports packaging from abroad, it is responsible for the producer.

A microenterprise has fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of less than 15 million. ET AL.

Kompatija

How to comply with the rules

To meet manufacturer responsibility requirements for packaging, your company must follow a number of important steps. From January 1, 2025, it is required by law to be a member of a collective scheme that handles reporting, reporting and payment on your behalf.

Join a collective scheme (legally required from 1 January 2025)

Reported packaging quantities annually

Pay the statutory fees which fund collection and recycling

Monitor and document your packaging usage on an ongoing basis to ensure proper reporting