Summary
Details
- European Union
Where businesses fall within national definitions of producer, applicable EPR obligations can include:
- Registration.
- Producer fees.
- Funding collection.
- Funding transport.
- Funding treatment.
- Awareness-raising costs.
- Authorized representative requirements.
- Reporting.
Deep dive
- What’s Required
- 1. Establish EPR schemes for fishing gear containing plastic
- 2. Identify obligated producers
- 3. Finance separate collection
- 4. Finance transport
- 5. Finance treatment
- 6. Finance awareness raising
- 7. Appoint authorized representatives for cross-border sales
- 8. Establish national collection rates
- 9. Monitor fishing gear placed on the market
- 10. Monitor waste fishing gear collected
- 11. Support recycling
- 12. Coordinate with port reception systems
- Important Deadlines
- Current Status
- Penalties for Non-Compliance
- Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes
- Resources
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What’s Required
1. Establish EPR schemes for fishing gear containing plastic
Member States must create Extended Producer Responsibility schemes covering fishing gear containing plastic placed on their national markets.
These schemes must operate consistently with the general EPR requirements of the Waste Framework Directive.
2. Identify obligated producers
Businesses placing fishing gear containing plastic on a Member State market can fall within the definition of producer.
Depending on national implementation, this may include:
Manufacturers.
Importers.
Distributors placing products on the market.
Distance sellers.
3. Finance separate collection
Producers must cover the costs of separate collection of waste fishing gear containing plastic after that waste has been delivered to:
Port reception facilities established under Directive 2019/883, or
Other equivalent collection systems.
4. Finance transport
Producer responsibility extends beyond collection.
Producers must also finance transport of collected fishing gear waste to appropriate treatment facilities.
5. Finance treatment
Treatment costs are also included.
This can encompass:
Sorting.
Preparation for recycling.
Recycling.
Appropriate management of non-recyclable fractions.
6. Finance awareness raising
Producers must cover relevant costs of measures designed to inform fishing gear users about:
Proper waste management.
Marine litter impacts.
Collection systems.
Responsible disposal practices.
7. Appoint authorized representatives for cross-border sales
A producer established in one Member State that sells fishing gear containing plastic in another Member State where it is not established must appoint an authorized representative in that destination Member State.
The representative becomes responsible for fulfilling applicable EPR obligations there.
8. Establish national collection rates
Member States that have marine waters must establish a minimum annual national collection rate for waste fishing gear containing plastic for recycling.
Importantly, the Directive itself does not yet set one identical EU-wide percentage target.
9. Monitor fishing gear placed on the market
Member States must collect data on the amount of fishing gear containing plastic placed on their markets.
10. Monitor waste fishing gear collected
Member States must also monitor quantities of waste fishing gear collected and report the information to the European Commission.
These data are intended to support future consideration of binding EU-wide collection targets.
11. Support recycling
The collection-rate requirement is explicitly linked to recycling, making these provisions more than a simple anti-litter measure.
12. Coordinate with port reception systems
The EPR scheme is designed to work with the Port Reception Facilities Directive 2019/883.
Fishing vessels can bring waste gear ashore while producers finance downstream collection, transport and treatment.
Important Deadlines
June 5, 2019: Single-Use Plastics Directive adopted.
July 2, 2019: Directive entered into force.
July 3, 2021: General Member State transposition deadline.
December 31, 2024: Deadline for implementing the Article 8 EPR requirements relevant to fishing gear.
January 1, 2025 onward: Member States with marine waters are required to operate national minimum annual collection rates for waste fishing gear containing plastic for recycling.
April 16, 2026: Commission published its first major reporting assessment covering SUP products and fishing gear data.
July 3, 2027: Commission deadline to evaluate the Directive and assess, among other issues, whether binding EU-wide collection rates for waste fishing gear should be proposed.
Current Status
Active and legally binding.
The Directive remains in force and its current consolidated version reflects changes associated with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
In its April 2026 reporting assessment, the Commission reported that for 2022, EU Member States included in the dataset had reported approximately 22,900 tonnes of fishing gear placed on the market and 7,500 tonnes collected as waste, corresponding to an overall reported collection rate of 32.7%. The Commission stressed that national data quality and reporting approaches still vary considerably.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Member States must establish effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for breaches of national measures implementing the Directive.
Possible consequences include:
Administrative fines.
Producer registration enforcement.
Recovery of unpaid EPR fees.
Restrictions on placing fishing gear on the market.
Corrective orders.
Other national environmental penalties.
Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes
Placing fishing gear on the market without producer registration.
Failing to join an applicable EPR scheme.
Failing to pay producer fees.
Underreporting quantities of fishing gear placed on the market.
Failure to appoint an authorized representative.
Incorrect classification of fishing gear.
Failure to finance collection obligations.
Failure to finance transport or treatment.
Failure to fund required awareness measures.
Inadequate collection infrastructure.
Poor separation of recyclable gear.
Lost or abandoned gear remaining outside formal collection systems.
Resources
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