Austria Packaging EPR Fees 2026: Rates & Registration

How much does packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance cost in Austria in 2026?

There is no single national packaging EPR fee. Obligated businesses generally pay material- and weight-based licensing contributions to an approved collection and recovery system. Additional costs may arise from single-use plastic surcharges, authorized representatives, and Austria's separate beverage deposit system.

For example, Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA) charges €0.208/kg for household paper packaging and €1.040/kg for household plastic packaging in 2026, excluding VAT. Another approved provider, Interzero, publishes different tariffs.

Registration in Austria's Electronic Data Management system (EDM), where required, is free. However, free government registration does not remove the obligation to finance packaging collection and recovery.

This guide explains the verified 2026 tariffs, payment structures, reporting rules, and budgeting considerations businesses should understand before placing packaging on the Austrian market.

ARA's rates and minimum contributions exclude VAT. Other providers may charge different amounts. The VAT treatment of separate contributions must be verified against the relevant published terms.

Austria's packaging EPR framework is primarily governed by the Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz 2002 (AWG) and the Verpackungsverordnung 2014 (Packaging Ordinance).

Businesses responsible for placing packaging on the Austrian market generally must participate in an approved Sammel- und Verwertungssystem—a collection and recovery system.

These systems organize and finance the collection and recovery of packaging waste. Producers fund those activities through licensing contributions calculated according to the applicable packaging tariff categories.

The Austrian government's official packaging compliance guidance confirms that licensing costs depend on packaging type and weight.

For broader information about the regulatory framework, see ComplyMarket's existing Austria Packaging EPR and Licensing Guide.

Austria identifies several categories of primary obligated businesses (Primärverpflichtete).

Depending on the supply chain, these include:

• Domestic packaging manufacturers or importers: Businesses first placing qualifying service packaging on the Austrian market.
• Packers and fillers: Businesses first filling or packing non-service packaging.
• Importers: Austrian businesses importing packaged goods.
• Own importers: Businesses importing packaged goods for their own operations, where the packaging becomes waste at their Austrian premises.
• Foreign distance sellers: Businesses selling packaged goods directly to Austrian private final consumers without an Austrian establishment.

Brand ownership alone does not automatically determine responsibility. Businesses must identify the legally obligated entity for each transaction.

A distributor purchasing already licensed packaging may have a different responsibility from an importer first introducing that packaging into Austria.

Practical recommendation: Document the responsible legal entity, packaging supplier, sales channel, import arrangement, and evidence of any upstream licensing before calculating fees.

Austria's packaging rules cover a broad range of packaging formats, including sales, grouped, transport, shipping, and service packaging.

Relevant materials include paper and cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminium, ferrous metals, wood, composites, expanded polystyrene (EPS), and certain other packaging materials.

A fundamental cost distinction is between:

Household packaging (Haushaltsverpackungen): Packaging meeting the relevant classification criteria and typically becoming waste in households or comparable locations.

Commercial packaging (gewerbliche Verpackungen): Packaging classified under the commercial categories, including many industrial and logistics applications.

The classification is not determined by the customer's business status alone. Packaging characteristics, dimensions, typical place of waste generation, and Austrian classification rules must be considered.

Incorrect classification can materially change the licensing contribution.

Is packaging EPR registration free in Austria?

Registration in the official EDM system is free of charge, where registration is required. Austria's Federal Ministry explicitly confirms that EDM registration, including allocation of a Global Location Number (GLN), is free for businesses.

However, two processes must be distinguished.

1. Official administrative registration

Austria uses the Electronic Data Management system (EDM), including its central master-data register, ZAReg, for applicable waste-related registration and reporting activities.

The EDM system is available at edm.gv.at.

Not every ordinary packaging-system participant must submit the same direct EDM reports.

2. Packaging licensing and system participation

Obligated businesses generally enter into an agreement with an approved collection and recovery system.

That agreement establishes the packaging categories, declared quantities, applicable tariffs, and payment arrangements.

Although this process is sometimes marketed as EPR registration, the commercial licensing contribution is not a government registration fee.

For budgeting, companies should separate any required free EDM registration from recurring system-participation costs.

Foreign sellers must assess Austria's authorized-representative rules before supplying the market.

Since 1 January 2023, foreign distance sellers without an Austrian establishment supplying packaging or packaged goods directly to Austrian private final consumers have been required to appoint an authorized representative.

Certain businesses established in another EU or EEA country supplying packaging to non-private recipients may appoint a representative voluntarily under the applicable national provisions.

The representative must have an Austrian establishment and satisfy the national eligibility requirements.

Appointments require a certified power of attorney in German or English, and the representative handles relevant packaging obligations under the mandate.

No single statutory national commercial-service tariff was identified.

Representation costs depend on the service provider, reporting responsibilities, packaging volumes, contractual scope, and associated administrative work.

Businesses should request a quotation covering registration procedures, scheme administration, declarations, correspondence, and recurring services.

These commercial charges must not be presented as government registration fees.

Austria operates a competitive system of approved collection and recovery organizations.

Examples include:

• Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA)
• Interzero Circular Solutions Europe
• Reclay Systems
• Bonus Holsystem
• European Recycling Platform (ERP) Austria

Approval and the categories covered by each operator should be verified against the Austrian ministry's official list.

Ordinary household and commercial packaging is generally subject to system participation, with particular arrangements and exceptions addressed separately under Austrian law.

Companies should compare approved providers based on applicable tariff categories, minimum contributions, administrative processes, and reporting support.

Household packaging: ARA versus Interzero

The following rates are taken directly from the two providers' published 2026 schedules.

All listed rates exclude VAT and apply from 1 January 2026.

These are provider-specific published tariffs, not national government fees.

Commercial packaging: ARA versus Interzero

Glass and beverage cartons are not assigned commercial tariffs in Interzero's published 2026 sheet, reflecting its stated classification rules.

Businesses must verify the correct tariff category before applying any rate.

In 2026, ARA publishes a €90 annual minimum contribution and a €150 annual flat contribution.

Interzero publishes a €150 annual minimum and a €150 flat contribution.

All these amounts exclude VAT.

Both providers publish small-volume arrangements linked to eligible quantities of no more than 1,500 kg of household packaging and 1,500 kg of commercial packaging annually.

The 1,500 kg limit is not a general exemption from EPR. It concerns eligibility for a simplified commercial payment arrangement.

Businesses must check the selected provider's eligibility conditions and whether the flat contribution is appropriate for their quantities.

Certain single-use plastic products and packaging carry additional regulated cost-recovery contributions.

These are separate from ordinary material licensing tariffs. The rates are prescribed through the competent ministry and collected by approved systems.

Selected published 2026 amounts include:

The ministerial 2026 schedule also establishes a €29 flat contribution for eligible flat-rate system participants placing relevant single-use plastic packaging on the market.

These charges apply only to products meeting the relevant legal definitions. They must not automatically be applied to every plastic packaging component.

Austria introduced its national deposit-return system on 1 January 2025 for qualifying single-use plastic beverage bottles and metal cans with capacities from 0.1 to 3 litres.

The system is administered by Recycling Pfand Österreich.

For 2026, the published standard producer contributions are:

The producer contribution is a financing charge, whereas the €0.25 deposit is collected and refundable through the deposit system. It should not be treated as an ordinary non-refundable EPR licensing fee.

For qualifying deposit containers, the operator confirms that an additional ordinary packaging licensing contribution is not required for the container, label, closure, and cap already covered by the deposit arrangement.

Other packaging, such as secondary transport cartons, must be assessed separately.

Initial distributors must also comply with relevant system and product registration requirements. Specific deposit-system registration costs should be checked directly with the operator rather than assumed to be free.

For normal material-based scheme tariffs, the core calculation is:

Packaging weight in kilograms × applicable 2026 scheme tariff per kilogram = licensing contribution

The calculation must be performed separately for each relevant material and packaging category.

Worked 2026 example

Consider a business that has correctly classified the following annual packaging quantities.

Under ARA's published 2026 tariffs, the illustrative ordinary licensing contribution is €1,112 excluding VAT.

Applying Interzero's published rates to the same correctly classified quantities produces €1,035 excluding VAT.

This comparison does not include applicable single-use plastic surcharges, representative fees, or other distinct obligations. It is an illustrative calculation rather than a compliance quotation.

The example exceeds the household-packaging quantity limit for the small-volume flat arrangements.

Two producers selling similar products may have different packaging costs because of differences in:

• Packaging material and weight
• Household versus commercial classification
• Collection-system provider
• Packaging components and composites
• Annual market quantities
• Applicable minimum or flat contributions
• Single-use plastic classification
• Deposit-system participation

2026 tariffs already distinguish between materials with different collection and treatment costs.

However, businesses should not assume that every recyclable packaging design automatically qualifies for a separate national eco-modulation discount. Any adjustment must be established under the applicable scheme or specific regulatory mechanism.

Reporting to a collection and recovery system

Standard scheme participants report packaging quantities to their contracted system.

For household packaging, statutory reporting frequencies are linked to expected annual licensing contributions:

The simplified flat-rate arrangements have separate conditions.

Household scheme participants outside the flat-rate arrangement must also provide specified annual packaging data by 15 March of the following year.

Payment timing and invoicing should be checked against the individual provider contract.

Direct EDM reporting

Austria's EDM eVerpackung system supports direct statutory reporting for particular categories, including applicable own importers, large-scale packaging waste generation sites, and certain reusable-container fillers.

For these Annex 3 reporting categories, the annual deadline is 31 March of the following year.

Thus, qualifying reports for 2025 were due on 31 March 2026, while reports concerning 2026 are ordinarily due on 31 March 2027.

Approved collection systems have their own statutory reporting responsibilities, including an annual 10 April deadline.

Routine reporting to a licensing provider must not be confused with a direct EDM declaration.

Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), began its general application on 12 August 2026, but its requirements have different implementation dates.

Austria's environment ministry confirms that existing national collection-system and reporting arrangements continue during the transition insofar as they remain consistent with EU law.

Businesses should therefore continue their Austrian packaging licensing activities while separately assessing applicable PPWR product-design, substance, and documentation requirements.

The ministry has also identified new packaging classifications covering certain coffee capsules, coffee pads, and tea bags, with collection-system participation envisaged from 1 October 2026. Companies should verify the current implementation position and the relevant tariff category before declaring these formats.

For broader PPWR obligations, see ComplyMarket's Packaging EPR Compliance Under the EU PPWR.

Failing to comply with Austrian packaging obligations can lead to administrative enforcement, financial penalties, and commercial restrictions.

Austria's Waste Management Act provides penalties for relevant violations. The consequences depend on the particular obligation and circumstances.

Since 2023, Austrian electronic marketplaces and fulfilment providers have also been required to check applicable producer compliance conditions.

Where the necessary compliance is not contractually ensured, a marketplace may be required to exclude the affected seller.

Businesses should therefore retain evidence of system participation, registration arrangements, declarations, and payment records.

1. Determine producer responsibility. Identify the legally responsible entity for each Austrian supply flow.
2. Identify packaging in scope. Include primary, secondary, transport, and service packaging where relevant.
3. Classify packaging correctly. Apply household or commercial categories using Austrian rules.
4. Check registration requirements. Complete applicable EDM and representative procedures.
5. Select an approved collection system. Review actual 2026 tariffs, minimums, and contract terms.
6. Calculate material quantities. Maintain packaging-component weights and Austrian market quantities.
7. Assess additional fees. Identify qualifying single-use plastic and deposit-system obligations.
8. Submit required declarations. Follow scheme-specific and statutory reporting deadlines.
9. Reconcile quantities and invoices. Compare declared packaging quantities against actual market placement.
10. Maintain supporting records. Retain supplier specifications, declarations, invoices, and evidence of participation.

Austria's 2026 packaging EPR costs consist primarily of variable collection-system licensing contributions.

Official EDM registration is free, but mandatory system participation is generally paid. Minimum and flat contributions depend on the selected provider.

Additional budget lines may include regulated single-use plastic charges, commercial representative services, and separate producer contributions for covered deposit containers.

The most reliable approach is to calculate packaging weights accurately, apply the chosen system's published 2026 tariff, identify any additional regulated contributions, and reconcile the result against contractual minimums and actual declared quantities.

2026 fee note: Published provider tariffs, contractual services, and applicable regulatory contributions should be verified before final budgeting or submission. The rates in this guide are identified by provider, category, and year and are not a universal national price list.

1. How much are packaging EPR fees in Austria in 2026?

There is no single national price. For example, ARA charges €0.208/kg for household paper and €1.040/kg for household plastic in 2026, excluding VAT. Actual costs depend on the provider, classification, weight, and applicable additional charges.

2. Is packaging EPR registration free in Austria?

Official EDM registration is free where applicable. However, participation in an approved packaging collection and recovery system involves licensing costs.

3. Is an EPR compliance scheme mandatory in Austria?

System participation is generally required for ordinary household and commercial packaging, subject to specific legal arrangements and exceptions. Businesses should verify their obligations based on packaging type and producer role.

4. Do foreign online sellers need an authorized representative?

Foreign distance sellers without an Austrian establishment supplying packaged goods directly to private final consumers generally require an Austrian authorized representative.

5. What is the minimum packaging EPR contribution in 2026?

ARA publishes a €90 annual minimum, while Interzero publishes a €150 minimum. Both figures exclude VAT. Other providers may have different terms.

6. Is there a small-business exemption?

The availability of simplified flat contributions does not constitute a general packaging EPR exemption. Eligible businesses may use specific simplified arrangements under their provider's conditions.

7. Are recycling and collection fees separate from licensing fees?

Ordinary scheme licensing tariffs are designed to finance relevant collection and recovery activities. Separate additional charges may apply to specific products, including qualifying single-use plastic packaging.

8. When must Austrian packaging EPR reports be submitted?

Reporting frequency depends on the legal reporting route and circumstances. Scheme participants may report annually, quarterly, or monthly. Specified household annual data is due by 15 March of the following year, while applicable direct EDM annual reporting is due by 31 March.

Managing packaging EPR across Austria and other European markets requires reliable product information, current regulatory requirements, controlled evidence, and accurate reporting data.

ComplyMarket's Extended Producer Responsibility Management approach helps businesses organize EPR responsibilities across jurisdictions and regulated waste streams.

Relevant capabilities include:

• Regulatory requirements management: Organize applicable packaging EPR obligations by country and product scope.
• Packaging data management: Maintain material classifications, packaging quantities, and supporting product information.
• Supplier evidence management: Collect and organize packaging specifications, declarations, and relevant documents.
• Producer and registration information: Maintain structured records supporting local EPR administration.
• Reporting preparation: Organize data needed for packaging declarations and reconciliation.
• Compliance monitoring: Track required evidence, changing requirements, and outstanding compliance activities.
• Multi-country visibility: Coordinate packaging EPR requirements alongside other producer-responsibility streams.

For businesses entering Austria or expanding across Europe, a structured EPR management process can reduce fragmented data collection and make compliance activities easier to review and maintain.

Contact ComplyMarket to discuss how its EPR management capabilities can support your packaging data, regulatory requirements, documentation, and reporting preparation.