Calculate packaging licensing costs for small and medium-sized businesses

Get your packaging license quickly with the PreZero license calculator — transparent, legally sound, and with no basic fee

The PreZero packaging license calculator gives you a direct digital route to join our dual system in just a few simple steps.

You calculate licensing costs directly online, complete your system participation online, and receive your confirmation document for your own LUCID reporting and online marketplaces.

Whether you run a small business, sell online, or need to complete subsequent licensing, our calculator helps you fulfill your system participation obligations quickly, properly, and at a fair price.

Strong value for money

At €79.00 per year, PreZero offers an attractive entry-level rate. A straightforward pathway for small businesses, online retailers, and start-ups looking to complete their system participation under the German Packaging Act.

Transparent pricing

No hidden fees: You pay based on your reported volumes and entry-level rate, giving you full control over costs.

More liquidity through flexible volume planning

Our system supports flexible volume planning: Start with a realistic estimate of your planned volumes and report additional quantities through the customer portal when needed. This helps you avoid tying up unnecessary capital and keeps your licensing aligned with your actual business growth.

Find all relevant average weights and material classifications for your licensing here – clearly organized by packaging type.

A packaging license refers to the statutory participation in a dual system under the German Packaging Act. By licensing their packaging volumes, companies contribute to the collection and material recovery of packaging waste.

With a dual system such as PreZero, you can complete your system participation efficiently — and receive the required confirmation for your own data reporting in the LUCID register.

The license calculator is a digital tool that helps you quickly and easily join a dual system under the German Packaging Act. Based on your volumes, it calculates packaging licensing fees for small businesses directly online.

Step 1

License year & quantity planning (Estimate)

Select the license year you need. Previous years can also be chosen for subsequent contractual licensing (Note: Subsequent licensing does not retroactively remedy past reporting omissions with regulatory authorities).

Tip: Break your packaging down by material group, such as paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, or aluminum.

If you do not know the exact weight, average values can help. A standard medium shipping carton, for example, weighs around 350 to 500 g.

Step 2

Instant price calculation (Transparency)

As soon as you enter the volumes, the calculator shows your individual price automatically. There are no hidden basic fees.

A minimum price of €79.00 per year applies to very small quantities.

You see the final total immediately — clear and transparent.

Step 3

Online sign-up & documentation (System Participation)

Once your quantities are correct, you can complete the contract directly online. Standard payment methods such as PayPal, credit card, or invoice are available.

After completion, you receive your contract confirmation and your system participation certificate to support your own data reporting in the LUCID packaging register or for your marketplace operator.

Use the calculator to determine your licensing costs online and complete your system participation directly online. Your system participation certificate for your own LUCID data reporting and marketplace requirements will be available directly after completion.

Missing or incorrect packaging licenses can quickly lead to problems — from legal warnings to sales restrictions on marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. What matters is that your system participation is set up correctly and documented for your LUCID reporting at any time.

This helps you avoid common mistakes and handle your packaging licensing properly — including for required subsequent licensing or where there is still uncertainty.

Packaging licensing questions often come up in situations such as:

Selling through marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay
Required subsequent licensing of packaging volumes (Note: Does not retroactively remedy past regulatory reporting omissions)
Classification of shipping, service, or composite packaging
Obtaining documentation for your own LUCID registration and data reporting
Resolving uncertainty around system participation obligations
Requirements for importers

The PreZero license calculator helps you complete your system participation for these requirements efficiently.

Subsequent licensing allows you to fulfill your contractual system participation for past periods. However, it does not retroactively remedy a past failure to report to the regulatory authorities (ZSVR).

Use these guide values as a practical basis for your initial volume calculations and to establish clear tracking for your packaging reporting.

Packaging type	Example format	Material	Enter in the calculator as	Average weight
Mailing bag / envelope	DIN-A4 / C4	Paper / cardboard	Paper, cardboard	15g – 20g
Padded envelope	Size 4 / D	Paper + plastic	Other composite packaging	15g – 25g
Box (S)	250 x 175 x 100 mm	Corrugated cardboard	Paper, cardboard	120g – 180g
Box (M)	400 x 300 x 200 mm	Corrugated cardboard	Paper, cardboard	350g – 500g
Box (L)	600 x 400 x 400 mm	Corrugated cardboard	Paper, cardboard	800g – 1,200g
Shipping bag (poly mailer)	250 x 350 mm	LDPE (plastic)	Plastics	10g – 20g
Packaging tape (per parcel)	approx. 2 metres	PP / PVC / paper	Plastics	5g – 10g
Void fill	per shipping parcel	Paper / paper chips	Paper, cardboard	20g – 50g
Void fill	per shipping parcel	Cornstarch chips	Other materials	20g – 40g

Note: These average weights serve as a guidance tool for your initial quantity planning. Please verify the actual weights of your specific packaging materials for your final data reporting to the LUCID packaging register.

All packaging that typically reaches private end consumers must be licensed. This includes sales packaging, secondary packaging, service packaging, and shipping packaging — including void fill. The obligation applies from the first gram.

Transport packaging, such as pallets, is currently exempt, as it remains within the trade chain and is not passed on to the end consumer.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) means that companies are responsible for the end-of-life management of their packaging. Under the German Packaging Act, this involves contributing to the financing and organization of collection, sorting, and recycling of packaging waste.

The Central Packaging Register Office (ZSVR) is the responsible authority in Germany. Through the LUCID register, it monitors compliance with these obligations and creates transparency in the market.

Under the German Packaging Act, breaches of the system participation obligation can lead to administrative fines of up to €200,000. Non-compliance may also result in legal warnings by competitors or sales bans on marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay.

Packaging compliance involves three main steps:

Register in the LUCID packaging register (ZSVR),
Sign a system participation agreement with a dual system such as PreZero, and
Submit your data report of lizenzierten quantities in the LUCID portal.

Create an account in the LUCID register, enter your company details, and you will then receive your registration number.

Basic company information is publicly visible in the register, including company name, address, brands, and registration number.

This public transparency is designed to make market compliance verifiable for all market participants.

Choose the license year, enter your packaging volumes, and the calculator shows the price immediately. You can then complete the contract directly online and submit your data report in the LUCID register.

You can pay by invoice, credit card, or PayPal. The contract runs for one calendar year at a time.

If you start during the year, the first year is charged pro rata as a partial year. From the following year onward, the regular annual cycle applies.

The notice period is three months.

Yes. Packaging volumes for previous years can be licensed retrospectively to fulfill your contractual system participation. Please note: Subsequent licensing does not retroactively remedy past regulatory reporting omissions.

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