Product environmental law

Substance-related requirements are regularly set directly by European regulations. Product environmental legislation has its origins in EU law but also has a number of national peculiarities. Substance-related requirements are regularly set directly by European regulations.

In addition, the Ecodesign Directive/Regulation and the RoHS Directive primarily regulate environmental aspects that are relevant for promoting the circular economy. However, with the obligation to carry out a conformity assessment procedure and CE marking, they are based on the product safety regulatory system. In contrast, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), the Battery Act (BattG) and the Packaging Act (VerpackG) with their national registration, licensing and system participation obligations provide for regulations that differ in detail from one EU Member State to another.

We advise manufacturers, importers, distributors and trade associations in the electrical and electronics, mechanical engineering, automotive, packaging, textile and fashion, medical devices and consumer products industries on the market launch of new products, as well as in legal disputes with market surveillance authorities and in competition proceedings. In addition, our long-standing clients include a large number of online retailers and marketplaces, which are also subject to ever-increasing product law regulations.

Please refer to our case law report on product law and our client information on current developments in the field of product safety law.