2022 – The Future of Product Responsibility

2022 - The Future of Product Responsibility

8 November 2022, Berlin
TIPI am Kanzleramt

Photo: © Michael Haddenhorst

Dear VERE members,
dear e-systems customers,

eleven years ago, we met for the first time in Berlin to discuss the daily challenges of extended producer responsibility as a “trade barrier or solvable task” with representatives of business circles, public authorities and ministries.

After the Corona pandemic, at the end of 2022, a year that will certainly remembered for the “EPR” topic, we are here again together with you in Berlin today, directly in front of the Federal Chancellery, to look into the future of EPR.

Whereas years ago the dialogue was still determined by the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act or the problem of free riders, the pressure on sellers to conform has now become stronger and, above all, more complex. The increasing digitalisation of public authorities and central bodies and the inclusion of technologically advanced online marketplaces in product stewardship is massively driving law enforcement, as the rush to the German Packaging Register on 1 July this year has shown. Other examples are expected to follow.

This is no longer just a matter of product stewardship under waste legislation or extended producer responsibility in the environmental sense, but has long since also included requirements in an increasingly broad product compliance area that focuses on consumer safety. This is where various problems collide, such as Brexit, partly contradictory regulations of the EU member states, the cyber security of products, the conservation of raw materials, the recyclability of products and a whole lot more.

In order not to lose our orientation in this veritable jungle, we are bringing together the stakeholders involved from a wide range of interest groups and the currently burning issues on one day, in one place, for a joint exchange in order to shed light on the future of EPR in a constructive and solution-oriented manner. We would very much appreciate your support through your personal participation in the joint dialogue.

As the number of places is limited, please register at your earliest convenience.

Please register here.

Ms Silke Meyer will be happy to help with questions about registration, accommodation and other organisational matters: info@vereev.de or +49/40/750687-200.

09:30	Arrival of participants, registration and coffee
10:00	Opening (Oliver Friedrichs, Hjalmar Vierle)

A) EPR from the perspective of the authorities and central bodies

10:10	An insight view of EU Commission work on EPR compliance and online marketplaces Eunomia Research & Consulting (Star Molteno)
10:30	The new Ecodesign Regulation: From Directive to Regulation / The Digital Product Passport BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (Dr. rer. nat. Floris Akkerman)
10:50	Coffee break (30 min.)
11:20	Effects on the enforcement of the ElektroG and BattG, due to the new obligations of the online marketplaces stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (stiftung ear) (Alexander Goldberg)
11:40	Development of the Packaging Act up to the EU Packaging Ordinance Foundation Central Agency Packaging Register - ZSVR (Gunda Rachut)
12:00	Product responsibility as an important building block on the way to a circular economy BMUV Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Dr. Christoph Epping)

B) PANEL DISCUSSION

12:20

Joint discussion round

Sustainable products: How can manufacturers prepare now for the new regulations from the Ecodesign Regulation?
BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und - prüfung (Dr. rer. nat. Floris Akkerman)
Product Responsibility: What do we expect from marketplaces, industry and trade
BMUV Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Dr. Christoph Epping)
Amazon: What do we expect from our sellers in terms of EPR and product safety?
Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH (Eike Klein)
The electrical industry: How do we position ourselves regarding product stewardship and product safety?
ZVEI e.V. (German Electro and Digital Industry Association) (Christian Eckert)
Online trade: How do we operate in the field of flux between legislation and marketplaces?
bevh e.V. (German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association) (Eva Behling)

13:00

Lunch break (60 min.)

C) Impact of product responsibility on economic operators

14:00	Actual legal judgement and decisions of the governmental authorities on product responsibility Law firm Prof. Versteyl Rechtsanwälte (Dr Holger Jacobj)
14:20	Brexit – New challenges for manufacturers, retailers and marketplaces BCCG British Chamber of Commerce (Alexander Altmann)
14:40	Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act (LkSG) - How transparent do I have to be? Law firm Reusch Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH (Philipp Reusch)
15:00	Cybersecurity - Impact on product safety and recall practice Law firm Reusch Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH (Stefan Hessel)
15:20	Coffee break (30 min.)

D) DISCUSSION Findings of the day

15:50	How do I effectively secure my business on marketplaces in legal terms? Presenter: Oliver Friedrichs
16:30	Individual discussions and wrapping up
17:00	End of the event

Location: TIPI AM KANZLERAMT, Große Querallee, 10557 Berlin/Germany
Date: Tuesday, 8 November 2022, from 9:30h to 17:00h
Organizer: VERE e.V., take-e-way GmbH, get-e-right GmbH, trade-e-bility GmbH
Presenter: Oliver Friedrichs (VERE e.V. / take-e-way GmbH / trade-e-bility GmbH)
All presentations max. 20 min. with simultaneous English/German translation
Attendance vat: 450,00 Euro plus VAT

Free attendance for VERE members, take-e-way and trade-e-bility customers and partners

Travelling comfortably with the discounted train ticket, which is only valid for this event, for only 50€. Book here: Tickets & Offer
Find out more details here Bahntickets & Angebote der Deutschen Bahn einfach online buchen (veranstaltungsticket-bahn.de)