For producers, importers, and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries/accumulators, and packaging or packaged products
Best Practices for EPR -
Mastering Market Access Requirements!
EPR compliance is a prerequisite for gaining market access, ensuring that you can offer and distribute products in compliance with regulations.
That’s why it is crucial to master this topic.
We assist you in understanding, monitoring, and implementing EPR requirements in the EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland, following a systematic approach.
Together, we establish efficient processes to ensure EPR compliance and enhance your competitiveness in a sustainable manner.
EPR: The Key to Market Access
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept that holds product manufacturers and producers responsible for managing their products even after sale and use, including recycling or disposal if necessary. The idea behind EPR is to minimize the environmental impact of products throughout their entire lifecycle and encourage producers to design products that are less burdensome to the environment and easier to recycle or dispose of.
EPR encompasses various requirements and obligations that producers, importers, and distributors of products must fulfill to ensure compliant market access.
These include product and packaging requirements, labeling and information obligations, registration requirements, take-back obligations, and waste prevention measures. Accurate, available, and applicable data also play a crucial role.
To achieve efficient and compliant market access, all these aspects need to be mastered.
EPR in Practice
Despite its relevance and importance, EPR is still often perceived as a waste-related issue, with the mindset of “it brings no benefits and costs a lot of money.”
EPR is considered a necessary evil and, as a result, receives insufficient attention.
The consequence is a sometimes devastating status quo of EPR implementation in many companies. There is a lack of processes, standards, know-how, transparency, communication, awareness, data… and, as a result, efficiency and compliance are compromised.
Mastering EPR looks differently.
EPR Excellence: Taking EPR to a New Level
EPR Workshops
For specific EPR challenges, such as packaging labeling in the EU, we are here to support you with tailored workshops, followed by implementation assistance and ongoing monitoring of regulatory requirements. After all, the new standard should be kept up to date.
EPR Assessments
The Individual Assessment
As part of the EPR assessment, we review your company’s current status quo regarding EPR. We focus on your product portfolio (including relevant requirements, data, labeling, and information obligations), your procurement and distribution processes, as well as your structures, standards, and procedures. We also examine your registrations, reporting, other obligations, and the existing internal and external setup.
The assessment results provide insights into deviations and optimization potentials, serving as a solid foundation for a prioritized action plan.
Positive side effects:
- Enhanced training effect
- The better we know you, the better we can support you.
EPR Mentoring
Building on the completed EPR assessment, we actively address compliance gaps, implement optimization measures, and develop and establish relevant documentation and processes. We also provide training and professional development for responsible stakeholders in the field of EPR to ensure sustainable integration of EPR into your company processes.
Monitoring legal requirements is also an integral part of our mentoring.
Planned online meetings form an essential part of the mentoring, during which current project and day-to-day challenges are discussed, and the above-mentioned topics are consistently pursued. The accompaniment is supported by numerous tried-and-tested overviews, factsheets, and templates.
EPR Compliance Without Headaches
Results of Our Collaboration
- Ensuring compliant market access
- Increased efficiency through clear processes and established standards
- Independence from individual knowledge holders
- More time (and ideally money)
- Proactive action instead of reactive measures
Sustainable resolution of EPR challenges
More than 75 successful customers trust EPR compact
Corinna Georg
Head of Product Compliance - ZOOPLUS SE
"When working with André, you not only receive fantastic and up-to-date professional advice, but you also get something even more valuable: passion!
André is truly passionate about EPR topics, and it's contagious.
Instead of simply reciting the basics of EPR, he emphasizes viewing EPR not as a 'burdensome waste issue' but as a prerequisite for market access and a value-adding factor.
He approaches various topics with a problem-solving mindset, brings business ideas to the table, and knows how to motivate, even when the path seems challenging.
All of this, combined with André's likable and optimistic nature, makes him an absolute asset."
Sebastian Allzeit
Deputy Head of Quality Management - DS Produkte GmbH
"The collaboration turns the unpleasant topic of EPR into an exciting project, where you immediately get infected by André's enthusiasm and implement the quickly identified improvement and cost-saving potentials.
With his expertise, he manages to answer every question and provide actionable recommendations without coming across as condescending.
Besides, André is also a super likable person. Thank you for the collaboration."
Melanie Brejnholt
Quality Management Assistant - kwb Germany GmbH
"From the beginning, there has been very good, open, and competent support.
Mr. Gierke proactively communicates updates, tailors his approach to individual needs, gently encourages progress toward goals in a timely manner, and provides rapid assistance with any questions via phone, email, or Teams.
Documents are cross-checked whenever necessary through a dedicated SharePoint at EPR Compact. Through a personalized agenda, topics for subsequent meetings can be planned and tracked.
The materials/information provided in the EPR compact Member Spot are comprehensive, helpful, and clearly tailored to the needs of our company.
I highly recommend Mr. Gierke/EPR compact.
Money well invested."
Ralph-Thomas Meyer
Head of Ouality Management - Leifheit Corporation
"EPR compliance explained simply and broken down to the essentials.
Innovative recommendations that lead to the most economically viable solutions.
The consulting provides an organizational solution and is reduced to what is necessary.
The quality level is consistently refreshing and inspiring."
Jan Scheeder
Product Manager Hand Tools EMEA - Apex Tool Group, LLC
"After searching in vain for a consulting service provider for EPR/packaging labeling for my employer, I was fortunately recommended EPR compact. With EPR compact, we finally found a partner who can clearly explain the packaging labeling requirements in different countries.
Based on this, we created a matrix with various packaging types that now allows us to easily select the corresponding pictograms and labels. The member area is also very well-organized and easy to navigate. Short videos and summaries explain the requirements of individual countries in an illustrative manner.
A quarterly update from EPR compact regularly informs us about new legislative developments and packaging labeling requirements. We also always receive quick, clear, and understandable feedback when we have questions.
For consulting topics around EPR/packaging labeling, I can only recommend EPR compact."
Andy Dr. Zöllner
Head of Product Management - Lab Logistics Group GmbH
"We have been successfully working with Mr. Gierke and EPR compact for many years now.
This collaboration is extremely important to us, as through the member portal and personal contact, we are always kept up to date on the current status of important regulatory topics.
Particularly in the rapidly changing landscape of EU directives, it is crucial for companies to be informed in a timely manner and to take the necessary steps. EPR compact is our reliable partner when it comes to questions about the Packaging Directive, the Batteries Regulation, and the WEEE Directive.
We look forward to many more years of cooperation."
Amélie Chupin
joboo GmbH
"We have the pleasure of working with André Gierke from EPR compact to introduce the topic of EPR to our team and provide support with various challenges.
André proves to be an extremely personable consultant with expertise and charm.
He helps us gain a deeper understanding of extended producer responsibility and is always there to assist us with advice, wit, and joy.
André - it's like picking strawberries in our hearts!"
Further Information:
EPR Whitepaper
Status Quo vs. Best Practice
In the whitepaper, you will learn, among other things,
- what the EPR is and what the typical current state looks like,
- what challenges exist and why the topic is relevant, and
- how a best practice can be designed and implemented.
ABOUT EPR / ANDRÉ GIERKE
André Gierke, the founder and CEO of EPR compact, brings over 15 years of extensive experience in the field of EPR.
During this time, he has analyzed EPR requirements in over 60 countries, studied numerous legal texts, collaborated with authorities and service providers, and advised clients ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations.
Through his collaborations with producers, distributors, and service providers, he has gained insight into the needs, challenges, and solutions from both sides and has accompanied numerous clients on their journey.
With EPR compact, his aim is to share his experience and knowledge with you.
One clear insight stands out:
EPR is not a waste issue but a prerequisite for market access.
And a proper solution to the “EPR problem” can only be achieved through established and implemented processes within the company.
© 2023 | EPR compact GmbH & Co. KG.