Key takeaways
- EPR packaging rules now apply in Spain — Manufacturers, importers, and online sellers must ensure proper packaging disposal or recycling under new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws.
- Marketplaces share responsibility — Platforms like Amazon must verify that all sellers on their sites comply with Spanish EPR packaging regulations.
- Compliance requires registration and reporting — Businesses must appoint an EPR representative, register with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), and meet ongoing reporting and eco-contribution obligations.
In short: Spain's packaging rules fall under its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws. Anyone who puts new packaged products on the Spanish market must make sure the packaging is recycled or disposed of. To comply, you pick a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), get a packaging registration number, pay eco-contributions and file reports.
Update (October 2026): These rules come from Royal Decree 1055/2022 of 27 December 2022 on packaging and packaging waste. Since 12 August 2026, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 has also applied. Its EU-wide packaging rules sit alongside Spain's national EPR system.
Spain has updated its packaging rules. The changes hit product makers and online sellers, including those who sell on Amazon. They are part of Spain's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws. Under these laws, producers are responsible for packaging after the sale.
You must make sure your packaging is recycled or thrown away in an eco-friendly way. This helps the environment. EPR compliance also means you pay waste management organizations.
Who needs to comply with Spanish EPR packaging laws?
Any business that puts new, packaged products on the Spanish market to sell them must comply with the Spanish EPR packaging laws. This covers manufacturers, importers and packing companies. It also covers economic operators that import packaged products for the Spanish market. If the producer can't be identified, the distribution brand must meet these obligations.
Online marketplaces now have a duty too. They must check that their sellers follow the Spanish EPR packaging rules. That means they check each seller's registration and make sure the seller sticks to the rules.
How do you comply with Spanish EPR regulations?
To comply with Spanish EPR regulations for packaging, you appoint a provider, get a registration number and then meet ongoing duties. Here are the main steps.
Select an EPR service provider:
- If your business is VAT-registered in Spain, you must appoint a local EPR representative.
- Select a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO).
Obtain a registration number:
- Your Spanish representative will apply for a packaging registration number for you.
- Once you have it, add this number to your marketplace profiles.
Meet your EPR obligations:
- Pay eco-contributions on a regular basis.
- Meet your reporting duties.
- Prepare eco-design business plans.
- Follow the rules on what to show on invoices and packaging.
Also note that producers may need to report packaging sold in 2021 and 2022. However, fees only apply from 2023 onwards.
What must producers report to Spain's packaging register?
Producers report the packaging they placed on the Spanish market, in detail. Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) lists the data in its guide to registration and reporting:
- packaging category, and whether it is used for drinks or not;
- packaging type and number of units;
- weight and recycled content for each material;
- for reusable packaging, its useful life in years and cycles per year.
The registration number should appear on invoices and other commercial documents. If a foreign seller on an online platform has no authorised representative, the platform can take on the producer's obligations.
What does this mean for online sellers?
If you ship packaged goods to customers in Spain, you are likely to count as a producer of that packaging. Before you sell, check three things:
- Registration: make sure you have a Spanish packaging registration number and that it appears on your marketplace profiles. Marketplaces check it.
- Plastic tax: Spain also charges a special tax of €0.45 per kilogram of non-recycled plastic in non-reusable plastic packaging. It comes from Law 7/2022 of 8 April and is managed by the Spanish Tax Agency.
- EU packaging rules: the PPWR aims to make all packaging on the EU market recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030. Review your packaging design with this in mind.
For more detail on both regimes, read Understanding Spanish Plastic Tax and EPR Rules.
Key dates
- 8 April 2022: Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils, which created the plastic packaging tax.
- 27 December 2022: Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste.
- 2023: packaging EPR fees apply from this year onwards.
- 12 August 2026: the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies.
How Taxually handles this
Taxually’s EcoTax registers you with the right EPR schemes in Germany, France and Spain, provides the registration numbers marketplaces such as Amazon ask for, and handles the periodic volume reports and payments to producer responsibility organisations, including the Spanish plastic packaging tax.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the new Spanish EPR packaging regulations?
Spain’s updated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws make producers accountable for the collection, recycling, and disposal of packaging after products are sold, promoting sustainability and waste reduction.
Who must comply with these packaging laws?
Any business introducing packaged goods into the Spanish market — including manufacturers, importers, packers, and distributors — must comply. If the producer isn’t identified, the distribution brand assumes responsibility.
Do online marketplaces like Amazon have obligations?
Yes. Marketplaces must verify that sellers are properly registered and compliant with Spanish EPR packaging regulations before allowing them to sell.
How can businesses become compliant?
Companies need to appoint a local EPR representative (if VAT-registered in Spain), join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), obtain a packaging registration number, and meet ongoing reporting and eco-contribution obligations.
Are there any retroactive reporting requirements?
Yes. Producers may need to report packaging placed on the Spanish market in 2021 and 2022, although EPR-related fees only apply from 2023 onwards.
What happens if a foreign seller has no authorised representative in Spain?
If the goods are sold through an online platform, the platform acts as producer on a subsidiary basis. It then takes on the financial, reporting and organisational obligations.
