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EPR in the Netherlands: Verpact, OPEN, Stibat and UPV Textiel
Last checked · 4 min read
EPR in the Netherlands has one well-known exemption: you only declare packaging to Verpact once you pass 50,000 kilograms a year. Many webshops stay below it and assume Dutch EPR does not apply to them. But electronics, batteries and textiles have no such exemption, bol checks EPR compliance, and when you sell abroad, stricter rules apply there.
- +Packaging: declare to Verpact and pay the waste management fee once you place more than 50,000 kg of packaging on the Dutch market per year. The annual declaration is due by 31 March.
- +Electronics: join Stichting OPEN. Batteries: Stibat. Textiles: the Dutch textile EPR (UPV Textiel) since 1 July 2023.
- +Selling from abroad to Dutch consumers makes you the producer in the Netherlands.
- +bol may only let you sell if you meet the Dutch EPR rules, and can take your range offline.
UPV: the Dutch word for EPR
In Dutch, EPR is called uitgebreide producentenverantwoordelijkheid, or UPV. The principle is the same as in the rest of Europe: whoever first places a product on the Dutch market helps pay for its collection and recycling. Enforcement is by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT).
The Netherlands handles each product type through one central organisation: Verpact for packaging, Stichting OPEN for electronics, Stibat for batteries. That makes it simpler than Germany or France.
Packaging: Verpact and the 50,000 kg threshold
Verpact, called Afvalfonds Verpakkingen until March 2024, runs packaging collection and recycling in the Netherlands. Whoever places packaged products on the Dutch market is a producer or importer. Place more than 50,000 kilograms of packaging on the market in a calendar year and you declare to Verpact and pay the waste management fee (afvalbeheersbijdrage) per kilogram, per material.
- The threshold counts all materials together, not per material: 30,000 kg of cardboard and 25,000 kg of plastic is above it.
- Below 50,000 kg you do not need to register with Verpact, according to Verpact.
- The annual declaration for the previous year is due by 31 March. Verpact also works with a provisional estimate (opgaaf) for the current year, which you adjust in the first quarter when your volumes change.
- Verpact declares metals as one line; aluminium and steel are not reported separately.
Foreign webshops selling to the Netherlands
If you sell from Germany, Belgium or elsewhere to Dutch customers through a webshop or marketplace, you are the producer in the Netherlands as far as Verpact is concerned. Verpact itself states that whoever sells packaged products through an online platform to customers in other countries is the producer in the countries where those customers live. Under the PPWR that comes with an authorised representative in the Netherlands, although that requirement may still be dropped.
Electronics: Stichting OPEN
If you place electrical or electronic equipment on the Dutch market, you register with Stichting OPEN before your first sale and pay a waste management fee per appliance category. There is no kilogram threshold as with packaging: a small seller of chargers or LED lamps is in scope. More in the guide on electronics (WEEE).
Batteries: Stibat
For batteries, loose or built into a product, you join Stibat. Since 18 August 2025 the EPR rules of the EU Battery Regulation apply, which require registration in every member state. See batteries.
Textiles: UPV Textiel since 1 July 2023
Since 1 July 2023 the Netherlands has an EPR scheme for consumer clothing, workwear and household textiles such as bed, table and kitchen linen. Footwear is not included. Most producers join one of three producer responsibility organisations, of which Stichting UPV Textiel is the largest, and report the weight they placed on the market each year. A foreign producer delivering directly to Dutch consumers must appoint an authorised representative in the Netherlands. More in the guide on textiles.
bol checks EPR
bol tells its sellers they may only sell in the Netherlands and Belgium if they meet the EPR rules there, and it is legally required to take down the range of sellers who do not. See what bol asks for in the guide on marketplaces.
Overview for the Netherlands
| Product type | Organisation | When it applies to you |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging | Verpact | Above 50,000 kg of packaging per year |
| Electronics | Stichting OPEN | From the first appliance |
| Batteries | Stibat | From the first battery, built-in included |
| Textiles | Stichting UPV Textiel | Clothing and household textiles, not footwear |
Frequently asked questions
Do small webshops have to register with Verpact?
Not if you place less than 50,000 kg of packaging on the Dutch market per year. Watch your obligations in other countries though: Germany and France have no such exemption.
When is the Verpact declaration due?
The annual declaration for the previous calendar year is due by 31 March.
What is the afvalbeheersbijdrage?
The Dutch waste management fee: the amount per kilogram of packaging, per material, you pay through Verpact for packaging collection and recycling. For electronics you pay a comparable fee per appliance through Stichting OPEN.
Is Afvalfonds Verpakkingen the same as Verpact?
Yes. Afvalfonds Verpakkingen has been called Verpact since March 2024.
Is there a Dutch packaging tax?
Not as a tax. What sellers usually mean is the waste management fee paid through Verpact under Dutch packaging EPR, which applies above 50,000 kg per year.
Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, thresholds and deadlines are set by the schemes themselves and they change. Check what applies to your situation with the scheme or an adviser.