Packaging EPR when selling to Netherlands: what to look into first
Last reviewed: · Informational only, not legal advice
The planning problem
The Netherlands handles packaging producer responsibility through a fund and a government agency. If you ship parcels to Dutch customers from outside the country, the planning question is who counts as the responsible party for your packaging, and what you would need to report and to whom.
Who may need to investigate
- Sellers established outside the Netherlands who ship parcels to Dutch consumers
- Marketplace sellers with buyers in the Netherlands
- Brands that add their own boxes, mailers, tape or filler
- Sellers whose products sit in retail packaging
Being on this list does not mean you are required to do anything. It means the question is worth answering with the official sources.
Where to look first
- Afvalfonds Verpakkingen's guidance for businesses
- Rijkswaterstaat's pages on packaging reporting
- Any guidance for businesses selling to Dutch consumers from abroad
Content status: placeholder, pending legal review
In the Netherlands, packaging producer responsibility is organised through Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (Packaging Waste Fund), with Rijkswaterstaat as the government body involved in packaging reporting. Which obligations apply to a seller established elsewhere is to be confirmed from the official sources.
How the PPWR fits in
The PPWR is an EU-wide regulation on packaging and packaging waste. It sits alongside national packaging producer-responsibility (EPR) systems, which are run country by country. Which parts apply to a given seller, and from which date, depends on the provision and on the country — check the official text.
The scope and timing of some PPWR provisions (for example authorised-representative rules for sellers established elsewhere) have been the subject of ongoing legislative discussion. Treat any date or exemption you read about as something to confirm on EUR-Lex.
Check your route to Netherlands
Answer a few questions and get a cautious, country-by-country checklist. Free, no account.
Check my selling routeOfficial sources
- Rijkswaterstaat — government agency (start for reporting) (opens in a new tab)
- Afvalfonds Verpakkingen — Packaging Waste Fund (opens in a new tab)
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on EUR-Lex (opens in a new tab)
- European Commission — packaging waste (opens in a new tab)
Citation: Websites of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen and Rijkswaterstaat (links checked 2026-10-11). Rule text not yet extracted or verified.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Afvalfonds Verpakkingen?
- It is the Packaging Waste Fund. It is the organisation through which producer responsibility for packaging is organised in the Netherlands.
- What does Rijkswaterstaat do here?
- Rijkswaterstaat is a Dutch government agency involved in packaging reporting. Check its pages for who must report.
- I'm outside the Netherlands. Does this apply to me?
- It may. PackRoute cannot decide that. Read the official guidance and, where unsure, ask an adviser.
- Does PackRoute state any costs?
- No. PackRoute does not state fees, thresholds or deadlines.
Other country guides
Planning tool, not legal advice. PackRoute does not register you, submit declarations, or confirm that you are compliant. Confirm everything with the official sources and, where needed, a qualified adviser.