Nhe year began with enthusiasm and full commitment – we organised training, campaigns, educational workshops and we have launched a new service. Read on for a summary of January at the Interzero Group in Poland, where we outline the key events of recent weeks. 

From 2025, the beauty industry is required to comply with new regulations on hazardous waste records. This major change, the obligation to register with BDO, will affect thousands of hairdressers, beauticians and other beauty industry service providers. We have launched a new form, which allows you to contact our company and take over the obligation to register with BDO. 

New entry on the website translators to whom the new regulations apply, what penalties are available in the event of non-compliance and what waste is subject to registration with BDO. 

In January, the second part of Interzero's report 'In the traps of disposability' was published, entitled "Waiting for bail". This analysis of Poles' knowledge of the bail system shows, among other things, that: 

• 23% of respondents had never heard of a bail system  

• 41% are concerned that the turnaround points will be too far from their location  

• 40% says you may need a receipt to get your deposit back  

Even this cursory extraction from the data makes it possible to identify areas that need to be addressed with an appropriate information campaign to bring the way the bail system works closer to home.  

The aim of the publication series 'In the Traps of Disposability', produced by Interzero on the basis of quantitative and qualitative research conducted by Opinia24, is to assess the impact of the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive coming into force. Speaking more extensively about this, she said on air Polish Radio Four Edyta Mantorska, Manager of the Interzero Environmental Education Team.  

A webinar on the deposit system held on 16 January 2025, hosted by Pawel Sosnowski, Board Representative for Environmental Regulation at Interzero, provided participants with key information on the amendment of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Act. 

The training discussed the details of the regulatory changes, including the postponement of the launch date for bail schemes, changes to covered drinks, new rules for collecting bail and the introduction of VAT on unclaimed bail. 

A great value of the event was the rich Q&A session, which allowed participants to dispel numerous doubts and gain practical information on the new regulations. Thanks to the activity and commitment of the participants, the Q&A became a great opportunity to clarify any ambiguities and discuss problems that entrepreneurs may face. 

Why are there differences between publicly available data on waste management? Why is it better to say plastics instead of plastic? What environmental topics did Poles live with in 2024 and what awaits us in 2025? These issues were discussed in the podcast 'Eko bez kantów'. We encourage you to listen to the latest episodes on the YouTube platform:  

• "Waste and data - where do the discrepancies come from?" - Dr. Beata Waszczyłko-Miłkowska, IOŚ-PIB  
• "Waste management - what do the figures tell us?" - Dr. Beata Waszczyłko-Miłkowska, IOŚ-PIB  
• "2024 in ecology. What awaits us in 2025?" - Editors: Jakub Pawłowski, Aleksander Jakub Paszyński, Jakub Wojajczyk and Szymon Majewski  
• "Plastic - we need it, although we don't like to admit it" - Dr Anna Kozera-Szałkowska, PlasticsEurope Polska  

The next edition of the Interzero Environmental Conference will take place on 3-4 June at the Warszawianka Hotel near Serock! This is a unique event that will allow you to learn about the latest legal changes in environmental protection. Promotion early birds runs only until the end of February, so don't delay - share this message with others now! It is also a great opportunity to make new business contacts. For more information on the event, see here.  

Does your company sell products to Poland? And do you know what environmental responsibilities this entails? Take part in a free webinar in English!

During the webinar we will discuss:

1. Environmental obligations in Polish law - introduction
2. Explanation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
3. Licensing obligation for dealers and manufacturers
4. The role of the authorised representative
5. Good practices and support for companies
6. Question and answer session

The meeting will be chaired by Przemyslaw Kuna, Managing Director of Interzero.

To attend the webinar, simply register at HERE.

Registration is open until 20 February at 8am.

The transition to a circular economy is inevitable - these are the conclusions of the latest Interzero study Businesses in the circular economy: a detailed analysis. The green transformation of companies is not only enforced by legislation. It is also expected by customers, investors and financial institutions. The best way to set the right course for change is to work with an environmental consultancy.

From the survey Businesses in the circular economy: a detailed analysis shows that a significant Most companies want to implement sustainable initiatives or have already started doing sos. Such declarations were made by 71.1 to 84.9% managers representing medium and large companies from 6 European countries.

Companies in the FMCG (81%) and electronics (82%) sectors stand out as the most active in this respect. For this group of companies, the implementation of circular solutions is no longer considered in the context of competitive advantage - the it becomes necessary in order to maintain its current position on the market.

The situation is slightly different for companies in the construction, retail and logistics sectors, where the drive to make the idea of a circular economy a reality is declared by just over 60% of respondents. From their perspective, making green changes stay ahead of the competition, create and control industry trends and gain the trust of new groups of customers and investors.

What budget do medium and large companies allocate to sustainability? In which activities do they most often invest? Download the survey report and discover the latest trends in sustainability! 

Despite the implementation of further sustainable initiatives, significant the majority of companies surveyed are still a long way from achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 - considered the 'easiest' non-financial reporting target to implement has only been achieved by 20.5% respondents, while the 'most difficult' carbon neutrality target has only 15.7% respondents on track.

This state of affairs, as it were, forces companies to seek advisory support. Researched companies were almost unanimous in their desire to use an environmental consulting firm and to entrust it with strategic, management and operational tasks.

Managers of large and medium-sized companies declared that the introduction of sustainable measures can benefit their companies in the following ways:
- reducing the amount of waste generated (and consequently reducing waste management costs),
- increase the efficiency of the company's operations,
- to meet the growing expectations of customers, financial institutions and investors,
- adapting to prevailing industry trends.

However, the authors of the padding emphasise that for real benefits to be realised, it is necessary to implement changes based on concrete data and measurements. Otherwise, companies risk misdirecting investments. Assessing the environmental performance of products, services and the organisation as a whole was declared by only 35.5% of the companies surveyed. Some of the companies surveyed stated that they did not have any useful data or research to create a strategy for their organisation's sustainability efforts.

These figures clearly indicate not only the need for research and development work, but also the need for ongoing cooperation with a consulting entity like Interzero as an experienced partner specialising in sustainability.

Given the huge impact of sustainability activities on the perception of a company by all its stakeholders, companies seeking advisory support are guided by a number of concretised criteria.

• One of the most common criteria is the possibility of adapting the services offered to the specific nature of the business. Many entrepreneurs have experienced the difficulty or even impossibility of implementing off-the-shelf, unmodified solutions into their business models.
• Equally important is wide range consulting firm. Respondents particularly value availability of comprehensive, integrated environmental services and the opportunity to receive advice in other areas, not necessarily related to sustainability.
• A key criterion is also good reputation of the environmental consultancy.

As environmental consultants, we understand these expectations of entrepreneurs very well. At Interzero, we have been developing customised, integrated services for over 30 years in the field of environmental protection for companies of all sizes and from all sectors. We offer comprehensive environmental consultancy, training, audits, and we provide tailor-made solutions for sustainability, recycling, waste management and waste machinery. We support businesses in meeting their legal environmental obligations and in the implementation of a circular economy. We are already trusted by more than 9,500 entities - find out more about our environmental services and join the customers with whom we are pursuing a shared vision of a world without waste.

Six countries were analysed: Italy, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The objectives of the study were: to understand and analyse market trends in sustainability and the circular economy, to explore potential barriers to the implementation of sustainable practices, to examine the main sustainability needs in the medium and large enterprise sector, to analyse the readiness of these enterprises to move towards more sustainable business models.

The data analysed in the course of the study came from company press releases, newspaper and magazine articles and sustainability reports, as well as from interviews conducted with top executives representing the companies under study

In the first part of the report 'In the traps of reusability', entitled 'The curse of single-use plastic', we also read a lot about the eating habits of Poles: what they order most often, where and how they order (by phone, app, in person), what they pay attention to when they look at the packaging they are offered, and what they think about reusable packaging.

And these are just some of the findings from the qualitative and quantitative research to help diagnose and describe the state of implementation of the single-use plastics directive in Poland. The qualitative research involved interviews with 24 people, the quantitative CAWI research was conducted on a nationwide representative sample of 1,000 people. You can read the entire publication here: https://ekobezkantow.pl/raporty/w-pulapkach-jednorazowosci/

About Eco without the corners

In 'Eco without the squiggles', we talk about ecology without bending the truth. We deal with myths, fake news and half-truths. Our aim is to explain why waste should be separated, not just how to do it properly.

"Eco without a corner" was born out of the belief that in a world full of misinformation and greenwashing, a reliable source of accurate information is needed. We cover topics such as sustainability, recycling, GOZ and legislation related to waste management. We discuss the environmental impact of packaging, batteries and electro-waste, as well as how to reuse them as valuable resources.

Polish entrepreneurs selling products and packaging to Austria should be on guard - as of 1 January 2023, the country has introduced EPR regulations, which are the equivalent of the Polish ROP. They centre around 2 main issues: packaging licensing and the establishment of an authorised representative in Austria. How to implement the obligations under the EPR? We suggest.

With the start of 2023, the following became effective in Austria the new extended producer responsibility provisions, known as EPR provisions (English. Extended Producer Responsibility). They impose a number of environmental obligations on businesses selling products to Austria, with the aim of increasing the recycling rate of packaging and product waste and minimising the environmental impact of businesses' activities.

From 1 January 2023, entrepreneurs not established in Austria who place certain categories of packaging and products on the Austrian market must meet stringent legal requirements.

According to the Austrian EPR regulations, every introducer is obliged to:

• registration with the Austrian Federal Environment Agency (the equivalent of the Polish BDO registration),
• the submission of periodic reports on the quantities or weights of products and packaging introduced,
• participation in the waste collection and recycling system in Austria,
• to pay a licence fee depending on the type and quantity of packaging or products placed on the Austrian market.

Importantly, traders cannot carry out these obligations alone - not being based in Austria means that must appoint an authorised representative in Austria (Bevollmächtigten), who will carry out the duties of an introducer on their behalf and be responsible for liaising with local authorities.

The obligations under the EPR concern each company not established in Austria, which sells to Austrian customers the following product categories:

• packaging, including product packaging, transport packaging and shipping packaging,
• electronic and electrical equipment (EEE),
• batteries and accumulators.

The new rules apply to businesses based in any EU country as well as those based outside the EU. They are mainly aimed at companies that offer their products on sales platforms, e.g. eBay, Amazon, Zalando.

The obligations of the introducer set out in the EPR regulations must therefore be fulfilled:

• importers of packaged products, equipment and batteries and accumulators for the Austrian market,
• traders selling packaging, packaged products, equipment and batteries directly to consumers in Austria using their own online shops or online sales platforms.

The EPR regulations do not provide for quantitative exemptions - The establishment of an authorised representative in Austria is an obligation for every introducer, even if they only sell a few products or packages covered by the EPR into Austria.

The Interzero Group has been providing professional, comprehensive environmental services to clients in every industry for more than 30 years. We are present in 10 countries, including Austria, where we we take over responsibilities from our clients relating to, among other things, licensing, waste management and recycling.

As an authorised representative of your company, we will take care of:

• registration of your company in the relevant authorities,
• packaging licensing launched on the Austrian market,
• reporting, i.e. the preparation and submission of all reports required by EPR regulations in Austria,
• the provision of waste management arising from packaging and products introduced by your company into the Austrian market,
• representation of your company before the Austrian authorities in all matters relating to introduced products or packaging.

By signing one contract, you will hand over to us all of your responsibilities for the introduction of packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and packaging and batteries onto the Austrian market.

How do I make Interzero an authorised representative of my company?

1. Register with our online portal and complete your company details.
2. Select the scope of duties we are to carry out on behalf of your company. Remember that packaging, electrical equipment and batteries can be covered by one contract.
3. Indicate the quantities/masses of packaging and products entering the Austrian market.
4. Follow the further instructions and confirm the conclusion of the contract.

Find out more about the authorised representative service and packaging licensing in austria.

Find out the answers to the most common questions about establishing an authorised representative and packaging licensing in Austria.

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Act of 13 June 2013 introduced provisions for the inclusion of certain beverage packaging in a deposit scheme. The deposit systems were to be launched, in accordance with the provisions of this law, from January 2025. However, in order for them to function properly, a number of additional amendments to the Act proved necessary, in line with demands made, among others, by entrepreneurs introducing packaged beverages.

The training will discuss the changes to the provisions of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Act of 13 June 2013 introduced by the Amendment Act passed in December 2024, including, among others, the postponement of the launch of deposit schemes and the consequences thereof, changes to the drinks covered by the deposit scheme, changes to the way deposits are collected, the inclusion of unclaimed deposits in VAT.

The exact scope of the topic:

1. Clarification of the provisions for obtaining authorisations to set up bail schemes.
2. Exclusion of milk and milk product packaging from deposit schemes.
3. Making the collection of deposits mandatory at each stage of the sale of packaged beverages.
4. Enabling so-called reverse logistics by vendors.
5. Obligation for operators of commercial units with an area of 200 m2 or less to collect reusable glass packaging.
6. Subject to VAT on the unclaimed deposit.
7. Postponement of the launch of bail systems

The training will be led by: Pawel Sosnowski, Board Commissioner for Environmental Regulation at Interzero

Registration link HERE

The webinar is primarily aimed at:

• Entrepreneurs introducing packaged beverages
• Environmental specialists
• Persons responsible for packaging waste management in retail chains
• Anyone interested in the latest legal regulations on packaging management

You are cordially invited to attend the webinar!

Registration for lasts until: 16 January 2025 by 8:00 am.

Sign up today!