A sheet that lasts for years. And a regulation that stops it at the border.
The new EU Packaging Regulation, the PPWR, has been in force since 12 August 2026. It aims to reduce packaging waste. So do we. What it asks for in return hits precisely those who produce the least waste.
What the regulation requires
Anyone sending a parcel to a person in another EU country has to register there, take part in the local take-back system and appoint an authorised representative on the ground. For every country separately. From the very first parcel. The regulation provides no lower threshold for small quantities (Article 45(3)). The German retail association Händlerbund reckons with several hundred euros per country per year, whether one parcel is sent in a year or a thousand.
What that means for us
26 registrations. 26 authorised representatives. 26 annual fees. For two parcels this year, one to Austria, one to France. Our shipping partner, the Christophorus Inklusionswerkstätten in Fürstenwalde, may only ship to countries where we are registered.
So from now on we deliver to Germany, Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom. Three countries outside the EU that we are still allowed to supply, while Austria drops out. That is the state of the single market in 2026.
Why we think this is a mistake
A regulation against packaging waste stops a sheet at the border that replaces hundreds of single-use sheets over the years. It asks a workshop in Brandenburg for the same 26 authorised representatives as a corporation with its own legal department, and the corporation pays for that out of petty cash.
Large platforms buy their way into compliance. Small businesses stop. What is left is less variety and more of what is available everywhere anyway. That changes little about packaging waste and a great deal about the single market.
We share the aim of the regulation. A single register for the whole EU and a threshold for small quantities would have achieved the same thing, instead of drawing 27 new borders.
What you can do
- If you live in the EU outside Germany: have your order delivered to an address in Germany, to friends, relatives, an office.
- Schools and institutions in the EU: write to us. For larger equipment orders we look for a way through partners on the ground.
- If you know somebody in Brussels: the Commission has announced a review of extended producer responsibility for autumn 2026. One registration for the whole EU, a lower threshold for small quantities, and this text would be superfluous. We would be glad to delete it.
As of 8 September 2026. As soon as the legal situation changes or we have found a workable route through partners, we will open shipping to the EU again straight away.
