Packaging EPR · Bulgaria

Packaging EPR in Bulgaria — a plain guide for small cross-border sellers

Does packaging EPR in Bulgaria apply to you?

If you ship packaged products to consumers in Bulgaria, you count as a "producer" of that packaging there and you must be covered by a packaging recovery organisation. This applies to small sellers too — there is no minimum company size. Bulgaria is one of the cheaper markets to enter: the leading organisation publishes a low flat minimum plus clear per-kilogram rates, so a tiny exporter can comply for a modest, predictable cost. Here is the route.

Who counts as the "producer" in Bulgaria?

The producer is the business that first puts filled packaging on the Bulgarian market. When you sell directly to Bulgarian consumers from Finland, that is you. The first step of onboarding is simply confirming that the Finnish seller — not a marketplace or importer — is the producer for your sales route, then reporting your packaging weights by material.

Where you register: the authority and the PRO

Two parts:

1. The authority is the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW), which approves the recovery organisations and individual systems.
2. You join an approved packaging recovery organisation (PRO). The clear benchmark is ECOPACK Bulgaria; alternatives include BULECOPACK, Ecopartners and Ecobulpack. You register your company and reporting contact with the PRO and report kilograms by material.

Authority: https://www.moew.government.bg/en/ · PRO (ECOPACK) pricing: https://www.ecopack.bg/en/members/pricing-and-business-policy

Do you need an authorised representative in Bulgaria?

Yes. PPWR Article 45(3) has applied EU-wide, including in Bulgaria, since 12 August 2026, so an authorised representative is a legal requirement for any producer without a Bulgarian establishment. The practical appointment route is confirmed with your chosen PRO — we check with ECOPACK (or your selected organisation) how they want a foreign company represented, and set it up. If you want the background, see when PPWR requires an authorised representative.

What it costs in Bulgaria (indicative)

Here is how the cost breaks down — and what is already inside our price. The figures below are as ECOPACK publishes them (excluding VAT):

• PRO minimum fee (indicative). ECOPACK's minimum annual fee is around €80 excl. VAT. The published volume discounts only apply above 10 tonnes per year, so a small seller pays close to the minimum plus material fees. The minimum fee is inside the Pakkausvastuu price.
• Material-based fees (indicative). ECOPACK's 2026 base rates per kg (excl. VAT) are roughly: paper/cardboard €0.118, other plastics €0.125, glass €0.144, steel €0.066, aluminium €0.152, composites €0.174, wood €0.069, other €0.205. Your total depends on how much of each material you put on the market, so we price it from your actual packaging.
• Pakkausvastuu's price. Our service fee is €190 a year (€250 in the first year), plus ECOPACK's actual cost, typically around €80 a year for a small seller — both are always itemised separately on the invoice, at cost. The typical total is about €270 a year (about €330 in the first year). The service fee covers your producer registration, the authorised representative — mandatory for any seller with no Bulgarian establishment — and the material reports; ECOPACK's exact minimum fee and material charges are confirmed precisely in the free obligation check. Selling into five or more countries takes 10% off the service fee, ten or more takes 15% off.

Fees, thresholds and deadlines for Bulgaria change yearly. The figures here are indicative — we confirm the current numbers live before you approve anything.

Want your own number? Get a country-by-country quote →

Reporting and deadlines

Your PRO contract sets the cadence. ECOPACK's discount structure rewards reporting by the 15th of the following month and payment by the 25th, so we keep you on that rhythm to capture the best available terms. We hold your PRO agreement, reporting calendar, tariff version and next deadline in one record.

How Pakkausvastuu handles Bulgaria for you

Send us your packaging details once. We confirm you are the producer for the Bulgarian route, arrange the PRO contract (ECOPACK is a clear benchmark), register your company and reporting contact, report kilograms by material, and handle the PRO invoices. You get one all-in price a year, with the scheme's and representative's share itemised on the invoice. Selling into more markets? See our Romania packaging EPR and Hungary packaging EPR guides, and our EU packaging EPR for small business overview.

Bulgaria packaging EPR: frequently asked questions

This guide is general information for small exporters, not legal advice. Your exact obligations depend on your packaging and sales — get a quote and we'll confirm them for you.

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Selling across the EU as well? Send your packaging once and get one clear quote covering every country you sell into. Get a country-by-country quote →

Already covered in Finland through Sumi or Rinki? Read what your Finnish PRO covers and what it doesn't once you start exporting.

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