Germany has long been a front-runner in environmental policy, from pioneering waste separation to ambitious recycling targets. Yet plastic pollution—especially from items used once and discarded—still clogs rivers, burdens municipalities, and harms wildlife and human health. The Single-Use Plastics Fund Act (EWKFondsG, commonly shortened in English to the “EWKFG Act”) is Germany’s latest response: a producer-pays scheme that channels money from manufacturers of single-use plastic products into a national fund for cleanup, waste management, and awareness. It aligns Germany with the EU’s push to curb plastic waste while nudging business models toward circularity.
Goals and Core Principles of the EWKFG Act
- Reduce single-use plastic waste by discouraging disposable formats and making polluters pay.
- Promote recycling and circularity by incentivizing design and material choices that minimize environmental impact.
- Strengthen producer responsibility so that manufacturers internalize cleanup and waste-management costs.
Scope of the Act: Products and Materials Covered
The law covers products that are wholly or partly plastic and intended to be used once (not refilled or reused). Annex 1 lists the categories, which include:
- Food containers (e.g., take-away boxes)
- Bags & film packaging (wrappers, flexible films)
- Beverage containers up to 3 litres and beverage cups (incl. lids/caps)
- Lightweight carrier bags
- Wet wipes, balloons, and tobacco filters
- Fireworks added from January 1, 2026
These categories emphasize on-the-go consumption and items frequently found as litter.
Who Must Comply
- Manufacturers/first distributors (including importers, fillers, and sellers who first place in Germany on a commercial basis) must register, report annual quantities, and pay the levy.
- Distributors & retailers have obligations indirectly: online marketplaces and fulfilment providers may only serve registered producers, reinforcing compliance down the chain.
- Waste-management organizations & municipalities can claim reimbursements from the Fund for eligible cleanup and related measures.
Reporting and Financial Contributions
- Registration. Producers must register with the German Environment Agency (UBA) before starting activities (or, if already active before 2024, by December 31, 2024). Registration is via UBA’s DIVID online portal. Failure to register triggers a distribution ban.
- Reporting & payments. Registered producers report the type and mass of products placed on the market for the prior year, typically by May; for 2024 quantities, the first report fell due in May 2025, with payments following. UBA temporarily waived the audit-report requirement for 2025 submissions, but reporting and payment remain mandatory.
- How the fund works. Contributions finance municipal cleaning, waste-management measures, data/reporting costs, and awareness campaigns to reduce littering.
The Future of Plastic Regulation in Germany and the EU
Expect refinements as reporting matures and UBA publishes experience reports; the law itself mandates evaluation. Germany’s approach sits within broader EU initiatives on packaging, waste, and microplastics, and more categories (e.g., fireworks from 2026) show how scope can evolve. Public education and consumer behavior will remain crucial to achieving outcomes beyond compliance.
Conclusion
The EWKFG Act is a pragmatic step toward aligning environmental responsibility with those who profit from single-use plastics. By financing cleanup and prevention through producer contributions—and by tying compliance to registration, reporting, and enforcement—Germany aims to curb litter and accelerate a shift to circular packaging. For businesses, the near-term tasks are clear: register, measure, report, and redesign. For consumers, the invitation is simple: choose reusables, reduce disposables, and support brands that do the same. Done right, the Act can help strike a realistic balance between environmental protection and healthy, innovative markets.
