What graphic paper EPR actually means
Graphic paper is the paper that is not packaging, things like newspapers, magazines, office paper and advertising print. Graphic paper EPR compliance is the duty to help fund its collection and recycling, placed on whoever puts it on the market.
Five European markets run a scheme, and each draws the line a little differently. It is not an EU-wide rule.
Where it applies and how it varies
Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Slovakia all run graphic-paper schemes, and Malta has one in consultation.
What each covers is not identical. Hungary splits office paper and advertising paper into separate streams, and Slovakia bundles graphic paper with other non-packaging products that end up in household waste. So the same catalogue can be in scope in one market and handled another way in the next.
The packaging merger
The clearest trend is that graphic paper is being folded into packaging schemes rather than run on its own.
France did exactly that in 2024, merging its graphic-paper filière into one packaging and paper scheme, with a single register and fee. Malta's draft routes non-packaging paper through its existing packaging organisations the same way.
If you already handle packaging EPR, graphic paper increasingly arrives as a line on that invoice, not a separate scheme to join.
Either way, the job is to check per market whether paper stands alone or sits with packaging, then register and report it through the right compliance scheme.
Frequently asked questions about graphic paper EPR compliance
Short answers to what publishers and paper sellers ask most.
Is graphic paper EPR an EU-wide rule?
No. Five countries run schemes and Malta is consulting on one, but there is no EU-wide graphic paper EPR. Each market sets its own scope and rules.
What counts as graphic paper?
Paper that is not packaging, such as newspapers, magazines, office and copy paper, and advertising print like flyers and catalogues. Where a scheme draws the line varies by country.
Is it the same as packaging EPR?
Increasingly, in some markets. France merged graphic paper into its packaging scheme in 2024, so paper and packaging share one register and fee there. Elsewhere paper is still a separate scheme.
Do foreign sellers need a representative?
Usually, in markets where they have no local company. A producer appoints an authorised representative to register and report on its behalf.
