Estonia
Estonia keeps packaging in one register and everything else in another. Estonian EPR compliance means PAKIS for packaging and PROTO for the products of concern, the Waste Act term that covers electronics, batteries, vehicles, tyres and more.
Seven streams carry duties today. The split is about which list you join, and most producers meet the duty through an accredited scheme.
What carries EPR in Estonia
The active streams are packaging, electronics, batteries, vehicles, tyres, single-use plastics and plastic fishing gear. Textiles are the one not yet in force.
The single-use plastics and fishing-gear duties are cost-coverage schemes, covering litter clean-up, awareness and data reporting, with systems required in place by the end of 2024.
Compliance is scheme-based. Producers join an accredited producer responsibility organisation for each stream, or meet the recovery duty individually where the law allows.
Two registers by product
Packaging producers register in PAKIS, run under the Packaging Act separately from the rest.
Everything else registers in PROTO, the register of products of concern, which holds electronics, batteries, vehicles, tyres, single-use plastics and fishing gear.
The deposit system
The beverage-container deposit is run by Eesti Pandipakend, one of Estonia's accredited packaging recovery organisations. Deposit containers are still packaging under the Packaging Act, so producers register and report them in PAKIS.
For deposit containers the recovery duty is met through Eesti Pandipakend, not a second fee on top. A drinks producer reports all its packaging in PAKIS and lets the deposit system handle recovery of the deposit containers.
Who has to comply
Whoever places goods on the Estonian market carries the duty, importers and distance sellers included, with an audit obligation on larger packaging producers above 20 tonnes a year.
A producer with no place of business in Estonia must appoint an authorised representative located in Estonia. This is mandatory whether the goods are packaging or products of concern, and it is separate from joining a scheme.
The dates ahead
The dates worth noting:
- 12 August 2026: the EU packaging regulation PPWR applies directly in Estonia.
- Around April 2028: a textile and footwear scheme must be operating under the revised EU waste directive.
Frequently asked questions about EPR in Estonia
The questions producers ask most, answered briefly.
What is EPR in Estonia?
Producer responsibility across seven active streams, split between the PAKIS packaging register and the PROTO register of products of concern, fulfilled through accredited schemes.
What is the Estonian EPR register?
There are two. Packaging producers register in PAKIS under the Packaging Act, while electronics, batteries, vehicles, tyres and newer streams register in PROTO.
Is the deposit the same as packaging EPR?
No. The Eesti Pandipakend deposit is a refundable return scheme for beverage containers. Those containers are still packaging under the Packaging Act, and Eesti Pandipakend is the accredited recovery organisation that recovers them.
How do I comply in Estonia?
By registering in the right list, PAKIS or PROTO, and joining an accredited scheme for each stream, or meeting the recovery duty individually where allowed.
Does Estonia have textile EPR yet?
Not yet. A scheme is required by around April 2028 under the revised EU waste directive, with no Estonian draft law located yet.