Bulgaria's early textiles register
Bulgaria set up a textiles register before the EU required one. ExEA runs the Bulgarian textiles EPR register, a public list of companies placing footwear and textiles on the market, in force since 1 June 2021.
It is a registration duty ahead of a full financial scheme. The ordinance that would set collection targets and fees has not been adopted yet.
What the register covers
Footwear and textile products placed on the Bulgarian market. The framework points to compliance through a recovery organisation, which must post a bank guarantee of 500,000 leva, or an individual plan, but the operational rules wait on the draft ordinance.
Who must register
Producers that first place footwear or textiles on the Bulgarian market, importers and distance sellers included.
How registration works
- Confirm your products are footwear or textiles under the Waste Management Act.
- If you are abroad, appoint a Bulgarian authorised representative (see below).
- Register in the ExEA footwear-and-textiles register.
- When the ordinance is adopted, join a recovery organisation or run an individual plan and report.
Foreign producers and the shared representative
An EU-seated producer may appoint a Bulgaria-based authorised representative for its footwear and textiles duties, and one representative can serve several producers.
What comes next
Full textile EPR across the EU is being introduced by the revised Waste Framework Directive, which will layer collection and financing duties on top of the current registration. Bulgaria's early register means producers here are already on the list when those rules arrive.
Bulgaria's other register
The other streams sit in Bulgaria's National Waste Information System, NISO, which holds the packaging, electronics, battery, tyre, oil and single-use-plastics registers. This page is the footwear-and-textiles register.
Frequently asked questions about the ExEA textiles register
Short answers to what producers ask most.
Who must register?
Any producer, importer or distance seller that first places footwear or textiles on the Bulgarian market.
Is there a fee yet?
Not yet. This is a registration duty ahead of a full financial scheme. Collection targets and fees wait on an implementing ordinance.
Why does Bulgaria have a textiles register already?
It moved ahead of the EU. The Waste Management Act created the footwear-and-textiles register in 2021, before the EU-wide textile EPR requirement.
Do foreign producers need a representative?
An EU-seated producer may appoint a Bulgaria-based authorised representative for its footwear and textiles duties, and one representative can serve several producers.