Environmental compliance

What are the latest developments? We’ve picked out some highlights for February 2026:

Environmental Omnibus: EPR simplification on the table
SUPD: Commission launches evaluation of rules
BBWR: Commission drafts battery label rules + update from Germany
CRMA: Commission proposes new circularity rules for magnets in EEE
EU Deforestation Regulation: revision and key changes to apply in December 2026

Environmental Omnibus: EPR simplification on the table

In December 2025, the European Commission launched a set of proposals to simplify environmental rules and reduce administrative burdens, with a clear spotlight on extended producer responsibility (EPR).

The package bundles six legislative proposals plus a Communication and is now in the ordinary EU law-making process with the European Parliament and Council.

For EPR, the headline move is a proposed suspension of the obligation for EU-based producers to appoint national authorised representatives when selling into Member States where they are not established.

This would apply across all EPR-related waste streams including batteries, packaging, textiles, WEEE and single-use plastics.

The suspension would run until 1 January 2035, while the authorised representative requirement would remain for producers based outside the EU.

Member States would still need to ensure traceability and enforcement, potentially through alternative means.

Beyond EPR, the Commission presents the omnibus as part of a broader competitiveness push.

It signals that additional simplification may follow through further stress-testing of environmental legislation, including work linked to the forthcoming Circular Economy Act.

SUPD: Commission launches evaluation of rules

The European Commission formally opened the evaluation of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), launching a stakeholder consultation under its Better Regulation provisions.

The process marks the start of a structured review of whether the directive is delivering on its core objectives to:

• reduce plastic pollution
• prevent marine litter, and
• promote more sustainable product design and consumption across the EU

The evaluation covers the full scope of the directive, including:

• market restrictions on selected single-use plastic products
• consumption reduction measures
• product design and marking requirements, and
• extended producer responsibility schemes for litter clean-up and waste management

Fishing gear containing plastic is explicitly included. This reflects its significant contribution to marine litter and the operational challenges associated with collection, takeback and recycling in this sector.

According to the Commission, the review will assess the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and coherence of the current framework, alongside its added value to the EU.

Particular attention is expected on:

• implementation differences between Member States
• administrative and cost impacts for producers and municipalities, and
• the functioning of EPR obligations, including how litter-related costs are calculated and allocated in practice

The consultation is open to public authorities, industry, producer responsibility organisations, NGOs and citizens, with feedback feeding into the Commission’s ongoing evaluation.

While the assessment must formally be completed by mid-2027, initial findings and policy signals are expected earlier and may inform decisions on whether to maintain the directive as it stands or to propose targeted revisions.

BBWR: Commission drafts battery label rules + update from Germany

The European Commission has published a draft implementing regulation to harmonise labelling formats and technical specifications for batteries placed on the EU market.

The initiative supports the implementation of the Batteries and Batteries Waste Regulation (EU 2023/1542) and aims to ensure consistency across all battery categories, including provisions for size, font, icons, and digital access via QR codes.

Depending on the battery category and available space, information may be printed directly on the battery, its packaging or included in accompanying documentation.

The rules also address specific cases, such as embedded or button cell batteries, and establish a clear priority order for required markings, including recycling symbols and chemical disclosures.

Additional requirements cover hazardous substances, multilingual access, and accessibility standards.

The proposal also introduces a carbon footprint label for certain battery types, which must be both physically affixed and uploaded to the public battery passport database.

The Commission launched a public consultation on the draft act, which ran from 15 December 2025 to 26 January 2026.

The regulation is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of 2026.

Update from Germany

As a consequence of the EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 and the Battery Law Implementation Act, all foreign manufacturers were initially required to re-register with an authorised representative by 15 January 2026.

All domestic and foreign manufacturers were then required to contractually and technically engage with a producer responsibility organisation (PRO).

The PRO must be registered with the competent authority, Stiftung Ear, and have replaced the previous PROs, which lost their licences on 31 December 2025.

Also, on 15 January 2026, the previous three battery types were converted to five battery categories, so that there is now a uniform definition within the EU of which batteries and rechargeable batteries belong to these categories.

As part of the changeover, the foundation also introduced queries regarding the chemical system of the batteries, the current annual planned quantity, previous year’s quantities (if applicable) and the tax ID.

The quantity specified in the area of device batteries is decisive for the quantity of used batteries to be collected by the PRO.

Landbell Group’s PROs have the required approvals for the categories of portable and industrial batteries and can accept new manufacturers to establish their legal certainty for battery sales in Germany.

In addition, Landbell Group’s PROs offers the authorisation required for foreign manufacturers without a German branch in accordance with the BattDG and the ElektroG.

For more information, please visit Landbell or ERP Germany.