Belgian EPR, explained carefully.
Common questions from non-resident businesses about Belgian Extended Producer Responsibility, answered with sources and clear limits.
Who is responsible for packaging in Belgium?
The cooperation agreement of 4 November 2008 attaches the obligation to a defined role called the packaging responsible. Its limbs cover packaging goods in Belgium, importing packaged goods without unpacking them, unpacking industrial packaging in Belgium, and service packaging. We identify which limb applies to your entity and route before drawing any conclusion.
We sell into Belgium from another country. Are we in scope?
If you sell at a distance directly to Belgian private individuals, the framework addresses that expressly and treats you as a packaging responsible, with a requirement to appoint a representative established in Belgium. If you supply a Belgian business that resells the goods as supplied, the obligation normally sits with that customer instead.
Is there one Belgian EPR number?
No. Membership of an approved scheme, entry in the national producer register and the separate electrical and battery schemes are different things issued by different bodies. We record each with its own evidence and date.
Which scheme applies to us, Fost Plus or Valipac?
It depends on who receives the packaging. Household packaging sits with Fost Plus and industrial packaging with Valipac, applied through a classification list approved by the Commission. A parcel sent to a private individual is household packaging even though it is transport packaging.
Do we have to join both schemes?
Only if you place both kinds of packaging on the market. A company shipping only consumer parcels usually needs the household scheme alone. A company that also supplies retailers or business customers usually needs both.
What is the 300 kg threshold?
The cooperation agreement sets the take-back obligation at 300 kg of packaging placed on the Belgian market in a year, assessed on combined single-use packaging. Below it there is no obligation to join a scheme.
So under 300 kg we have no obligations?
No. Below the threshold the obligation to join a scheme falls away, but the information obligation and the wider framework still apply. We document the measurement rather than describe it as an exemption.
Do we need a Belgian company?
No. What the framework requires for distance selling to Belgian private individuals is a representative established in Belgium, appointed by written mandate and notified before products are placed on the market. That is not the same as incorporating.
Is an authorised representative the same as a fiscal representative?
No. It is an extended-producer-responsibility representative. It creates no Belgian VAT position, does not assume your commercial obligations and does not become the contribution debtor.
Do we need a Belgian enterprise or VAT number to join a scheme?
Published scheme material does not settle which identifier a company without a Belgian establishment must supply, and a business not registered for Belgian VAT does not normally receive a Belgian enterprise number. We put that question to the scheme in writing rather than assume an answer.
How much does the packaging contribution cost?
Rates are published per material category in euro per kilogram excluding VAT, and a minimum annual contribution applies once you are a member. Our calculator produces an estimate from those published rates; it is not an invoice, because rates are published to four decimals and invoiced on six.
Is there a cheaper way to declare for an online seller?
Possibly. Alongside the detailed declaration by material there is a flat-rate declaration by product family and a declaration for online commerce priced per parcel in three size bands. Which is cheaper depends on your real parcel weights and counts, so we compare both bases on your data.
When is the declaration due?
The member declaration to the household scheme is due on 28 February for packaging placed on the Belgian market in the previous calendar year. A company joining mid-year files its first declaration at the start of the following calendar year.
Does the scheme handle everything once we are a member?
Not everything. The annual declaration to the Commission is filed by the scheme for its members, but the three-year prevention plan required above published tonnage thresholds remains an obligation of the company itself.
What changes in February 2027?
The scheme has stated that its Green Dot licence ends and that the symbol may no longer be used on packaging from 12 February 2027. That is an artwork change, so it interacts with print runs, existing stock and packaging suppliers.
Is the new European packaging label required now?
No. Harmonised material labelling applies later, and sorting pictograms depend on an implementing act that was not adopted at the review date, each with its own transition and stock periods. We date every statement we make about these.
What about electrical equipment and batteries?
They are separate Belgian regimes with separate schemes. We provide information and a manual quote after classification, and never price them from a packaging table.
Does a marketplace require a Belgian number?
We do not publish marketplace fees, field names, deadlines or blocking behaviour without a current first-party source from the platform. We capture the exact request in your account and map it to the evidence that actually exists.
Can you guarantee registration or acceptance?
No. We prepare and coordinate the agreed work. The schemes, the regulator and any marketplace retain their own review criteria and timing, and we record what they return with its date.
Where these answers come from. The answers draw on the 2026 Fost Plus Guide, the producer register and the regulator guidance, Belgian legislation and applicable EU regulations. They are general information, not legal advice or a third-party decision. Last reviewed: 14 August 2026.