Germany’s Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (ZSVR) – or the Central Agency Packaging Register – has made its catalogue of the packaging items that are subject to the country’s ‘take-back’ system available in English.

According to the ZSVR, anyone placing packaging filled with goods onto the German market must register with the agency in what is called the Lucid Packaging Register and list the packaging type(s). 

This was a requirement “regardless of the type of packaging for producers of packaging subject to system participation, such as retail, grouped, and shipment packaging, and packaging not subject to system participation, such as transport packaging, reusable packaging, or single-use beverage packaging subject to deposit”.

Related: Germany-Italy ‘deal’ could scupper EU’s packaging waste rules

Chair of the ZSVR, Gunda Rachut, said an English-language catalogue would help companies outside Germany fulfil their packaging-law obligations.

“At the same time, it also represents an important step towards creating a level playing field. No company will be able to claim that it does not know that it is placing packaging subject to system participation on the German market,” she added.