Important information regarding shipping within the EU

Dear customers,

unfortunately, we have to inform you about a development that creates considerable organisational and financial challenges for us as a small company – and also a great deal of frustration.

With the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the requirements for companies selling packaged products directly to private customers in other EU Member States are increasing significantly.

27 EU Member States – potentially 27 different obligations

Companies selling products directly to private end customers in other EU countries must comply with the respective national requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility.

Depending on the country, this can include registration obligations, regular reporting, participation in national waste management systems, fees and additional administrative requirements.

For cross-border direct sales, further requirements may also apply, such as appointing an authorised representative for Extended Producer Responsibility in the respective Member State.

When a handful of orders no longer makes economic sense

In some EU countries, we may only receive a small number of orders per year.

Nevertheless, fixed costs and administrative obligations may still apply – regardless of whether ten, one hundred or one thousand products are sold there.

This is exactly what makes the situation so difficult for small businesses.

It is difficult to justify registrations, contracts, reporting obligations and potentially external service providers in numerous countries when the actual revenue from those markets represents only a very small share of the business.

Environmental protection matters – but so does proportionality

We fully support the objective of reducing packaging waste and making producers contribute more directly to the costs of recycling and waste management.

What we question is the way these requirements are being implemented.

Within a European Single Market, we believe that a central European registration, a harmonised reporting system and a practical solution for small businesses would be a far more reasonable approach.

Instead, the current system risks placing a particularly heavy administrative burden on smaller manufacturers and retailers that have the fewest resources available to manage it.

What does this mean for our private customers?

Unfortunately, this situation means that in affected EU countries we will no longer be able to supply private end customers directly as easily as before.

And we genuinely regret that.

We have always enjoyed supplying our products directly to you and would of course like to continue doing so.

This decision has nothing to do with us no longer wanting to serve particular countries or customers.

For a company of our size, however, the administrative and financial burden is in many cases no longer economically proportionate to individual direct orders.

What we would like to see from Europe

Europe should make it easier for small businesses to reach customers across borders – not harder.

Environmental protection and producer responsibility are important objectives. Regulation, however, must be designed in a way that small and medium-sized businesses can realistically and economically comply with.

A central registration, a common European reporting system and proportionate requirements for smaller businesses would, in our view, be a far more practical solution.

Until then, unfortunately, we have no choice but to restrict our direct sales accordingly.

We sincerely regret this and thank you for your understanding and for continuing to support our products through our dealers and distribution partners.

Your AK-Motion Team