EU packaging rules could kill Europe's maker economy
How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs
Lectronz, a marketplace for open-source hardware and DIY electronics, warns that the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will crush micro-entrepreneurs and makers. Under the rules, a small seller shipping a handful of boards to a few EU countries must register and pay fees in each one, costing over €1,000 a year for just four countries—while the actual packaging waste weighs less than a kilogram. This bureaucracy makes cross-border selling impossible for tiny businesses, forcing them to abandon the EU market or shut down. Lectronz proposes solutions like an EU-wide de minimis threshold, a one-stop shop for EPR compliance, and letting marketplaces represent sellers collectively. The article urges readers to sign a petition and leave feedback with the European Commission.
The weight-based environmental contribution associated with half a kilogram of packaging should be measured in cents. The bureaucracy required to account for it is measured in thousands of euros.