New EU packaging rules are already affecting Estonian online stores: some companies have suspended sales abroad

The European Union’s new rules on packaging and packaging waste are already affecting Estonian small businesses. ERR reported on 18. August that some Estonian online stores have temporarily disabled the option to place orders from abroad because businesses still lack clarity on how to meet the new registration and reporting requirements in practice in different European Union countries.

ERR: EU packaging rule change prompts confusion, online shops halt foreign orders

According to ERR, those that have halted sales abroad, at least temporarily, include Seebistuudio and A-Gallery, which represents Estonian professional jewellery artists. The main concerns for businesses are the additional administrative burden and uncertainty about what steps must be taken in different target countries.

What changed on 12 August 2026?

The European Union’s new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ehk PPWR — regulation (EL) 2025/40 entered into force on 11. February 2025, and its provisions began to apply generally from 12. August 2026.

The regulation covers all packaging placed on the European Union market, regardless of material or origin, and introduces new requirements, among other things, for packaging composition, recyclability, reuse and the handling of packaging waste.

European Commission’s official overview of PPWR

Full text of the Regulation (EL) 2025/40 on EUR-Lex

The Estonian Ministry of Climate also confirms that PPWR began to apply from 12. August 2026 and that the principles of extended producer responsibility for packaging also changed as a result.

Ministry of Climate: packaging and PPWR

Why does this concern online shops in particular?

One of the most important changes concerns who is considered the producer of packaging.

According to the Ministry of Climate’s explanation, the aim is to designate one business for each package that is responsible for financing the handling of packaging waste in the country where the packaging is likely to become waste.

This principle also applies to e-commerce and distance selling.

The following example is particularly relevant for an Estonian business.

If a business sells a packaged product directly to an end user in another European Union member state through its online store, the online store seller is considered the producer, and the obligations related to producer responsibility must be met in the country where the goods are sold.

For example, this may affect an Estonian online store that ships its products directly to Finland, Latvia, Germany or another EL country.

Ministry of Climate’s official explanation of producer responsibility and distance selling

A few foreign orders can mean a new obligation for a small business

This is precisely where a practical problem arises for small businesses.

When a large international company sells regularly in dozens of countries, dealing with different countries’ producer responsibility systems is part of its usual business.

The situation may be different for a small Estonian online store. A business may receive only a few orders a month from Finland or Germany, but it still has to find out which producer responsibility, registration and reporting requirements apply to it in the specific target country.

Seebistuudio owner Kaidi Holm told ERR that the business had decided to suspend deliveries to foreign countries through its online store for now, until the exact scope of its obligations had been clarified.

A-Gallery also suspended its online store operations, ERR reported, until there is greater certainty about how to properly comply with the requirements that apply to sales abroad.

Does an Estonian online shop now have to register in every country?

This requires precision.

PPWR provides for producer registration and the principle of producer responsibility, under which an online store selling directly across borders to end users may be responsible for the packaging in the target country.

However, this does not mean that all practical registry and reporting solutions will already be fully operational in the same way across the European Union by 12. August.

Ivo Jaanisoo, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Climate, told ERR that work is still underway at European level on an implementing act that will clarify reporting and the submission of data. According to him, after it enters into force, Member States will still have time to bring their registries into compliance with the requirements.

The ministry therefore did not recommend that businesses simply stop selling abroad.

What should an Estonian e-shop selling abroad do now?

First, it is worth checking which countries the company actually ships goods to.

Next, each of the main target countries should be checked for:

• whether the company is treated there as the producer of the packaging;
• whether registration in the producer register is required;
• whether it is necessary to join a producer responsibility organisation;
• what quantity of packaging must be declared;
• what reporting requirements apply;
• whether the country has exemptions for micro-enterprises or very small quantities.

It is particularly important to distinguish between sales to another business and sales directly to the end user.

According to the example given by the Ministry of Climate, the situation may be different if an Estonian company sells goods to a business in another Member State, which then places them on the market there. However, if an Estonian e-shop sells a packaged product directly to the end user, producer responsibility generally remains with the e-shop seller.

Why was PPWR introduced in the first place?

The aim of the new requirements is to reduce the amount of packaging waste generated in the European Union and make packaging more recyclable and reusable.

According to the European Commission, the new regulation should help reduce the use of virgin raw materials, increase the use of recycled materials and move towards a more circular packaging system.

European Commission: Packaging waste

Euroopa Komisjon: Facts about the new EU rules on packaging and packaging waste

For small businesses, the main issue now is practical implementation

The aim of the PPWR is not to hinder exports by Estonian small businesses. In practice, however, the current situation shows that the new requirements may make cross-border sales more difficult for a small e-shop.

If a company regularly sells goods to other European Union countries, it should not ignore the new requirements. At the same time, there is no reason to automatically stop all sales abroad.

It is sensible to first determine in which countries the company actually incurs producer responsibility obligations and how to meet them in each specific country.

The European Commission has also published separate guidelines and frequently asked questions on the implementation of the PPWR, which are being updated as the regulation is put into practice.

European Commission’s official PPWR information and guidance

Sources

ERR, 18.08.2026 — EU packaging rule change prompts confusion, online shops halt foreign orders
https://news.err.ee/1610112781/eu-packaging-rule-change-prompts-confusion-online-shops-halt-foreign-orders

Estonian Ministry of Climate — Packaging and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
https://kliimaministeerium.ee/elukeskkond-ringmajandus/poliitika-ja-seadusandlus/pakendid

European Commission — Packaging waste / PPWR
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en

Euroopa Komisjon — Facts about the new EU rules on packaging and packaging waste
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste/facts-about-new-eu-rules-packaging-and-packaging-waste_en

EUR-Lex — Regulation (EL) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32025R0040

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Artificial intelligence was used to prepare the article. Although the data has been verified using public sources, the text may contain inaccuracies or information that has become outdated due to subsequent changes.