Austria
How registration and reporting work in Austria
Packaging EPR in Austria means registering once and then reporting on a rhythm set by your fee. The steps are the same for household and commercial packaging.
The annual report is due by 15 March for the preceding calendar year, with reusable packaging reported by 30 March. On top of that, interim reporting to your system scales with your expected annual fee.
Pay under 1,500 euros a year and you report yearly. Between 1,500 and 20,000 euros you report quarterly. Above 20,000 euros you report monthly.
Selling packaging into Austria from abroad
A foreign distance seller with no Austrian establishment must appoint an Austrian authorised representative for its packaging duty, under section 12a of the Waste Management Act.
One representative can also carry your single-use plastics, electronics and battery duties, each under a separate power of attorney. That keeps a multi-stream seller from juggling several agents across the EPR in Austria system.
The dates ahead for packaging in Austria
Two dates frame the near future. Since 1 January 2025 Austria runs a single-use deposit (Einwegpfand) of 25 cents on plastic and metal beverage bottles and cans from 0.1 to 3 litres, operated by EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich, with milk products and cartons exempt.
The deposit sits alongside packaging EPR, it does not replace it. The same producer pays a system fee and a producer fee into the deposit scheme, and the container must carry the deposit symbol.
Then the PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, applies directly across Austria from 12 August 2026, with no separate national adoption needed.
Frequently asked questions about packaging EPR in Austria
The essentials for packaging sellers.
Who has to register for packaging EPR in Austria?
Anyone who first places packaging on the Austrian market, household or commercial. Since 1 January 2023 commercial and industrial packaging must join a system too, so B2B sellers are now in scope.
How much does packaging EPR cost in Austria?
The fee is set by your approved system, by mass and tariff category, not by the state. Austria publishes no official rate. A flat-rate simplification is available up to 1,500 kg household plus 1,500 kg commercial packaging.
What happens if I sell without registering?
Non-compliance is enforced as an administrative fine under section 79 of the Waste Management Act. Since 1 January 2023 a marketplace or fulfilment provider must also verify compliance or exclude the seller.
Which register covers packaging in Austria?
EDM, the electronic data portal, where you register master data before joining an approved collection-and-recovery system such as ARA. Reporting then runs through the system you join.
Is the deposit scheme part of packaging EPR in Austria?
No, it runs alongside it. The 25-cent Einwegpfand on beverage bottles and cans, live since 1 January 2025, is a return-for-refund deposit. You still pay the packaging system fee on the same container and must carry the deposit symbol.
