Laws and Legal Regulations

On this page, we provide selected legal regulations relevant to our product range and online shop in their original wording.

Overview

• Product safety: Requirements for safe products as well as manufacturer, importer and product information
• Batteries and accumulators: Return, disposal and information on waste batteries and accumulators
• Electrical and electronic equipment: Take-back and proper disposal of waste electrical equipment
• Packaging: Legal requirements for the registration, participation and disposal of shipping and sales packaging
• Price indications: Requirements for total prices, unit prices and price reductions
• Online purchases: Legal information requirements, right of withdrawal and rights in the event of defective products

1. Product safety – Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR)

Article 16 – Person responsible for a product placed on the Union market

(1) A product falling within the scope of this Regulation shall not be placed on the market unless there is an economic operator established in the Union who is responsible for the tasks referred to in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 in respect of that product.

The economic operator referred to in paragraph 1 shall, on request by market surveillance authorities, provide documented evidence of the checks carried out.

Article 19 – Obligations of economic operators with regard to distance contracts

Where an economic operator makes products available online or through another form of distance contract on the market, the offer of these products must contain at least the following clear and conspicuous information:

a) the name, registered trade name or registered trademark of the manufacturer, as well as the postal address and e-mail address at which it can be contacted,

b) if the manufacturer is not established in the Union: the name, postal address and e-mail address of the person responsible within the meaning of Article 16(1) of this Regulation or Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020,

c) information enabling the identification of the product, including an image of the product, its type and other product identifiers, and

d) any warnings or safety information that, pursuant to this Regulation or the applicable harmonised Union legislation, are to be affixed to the product or its packaging or included in accompanying documentation in a language easily understood by consumers and designated by the Member State in which the product is made available on the market.

2. Batteries and accumulators – BattDG

Section 14 – Take-back obligations of retailers

(1) In addition to the take-back obligation under Article 62(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, every retailer is obliged to take back waste batteries and portable waste batteries from end users free of charge in the retail store or in the immediate vicinity thereof, regardless of their chemical composition, brand, origin, size or condition. The take-back obligation under sentence 1 is limited to waste batteries of the battery categories referred to in Article 3(1) points 9 and 11 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 that the retailer sells or has sold as new batteries in its product range, as well as to the quantity of waste batteries that private end users normally dispose of. Sentence 1 does not apply to products with built-in waste batteries; the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act and the End-of-Life Vehicles Ordinance remain unaffected.

(2) Retailers who supply device batteries and portable batteries to end users through distance contracts shall, in order to fulfil their obligation under paragraph 1, set up suitable return options within a reasonable distance from the respective end user.

Section 24 – Information obligations of retailers

(1) In addition to Article 74(4) and (5) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, retailers obliged under Article 62(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 to take back waste batteries must inform their customers, in at least German, by means of clearly visible and legible signs or posters placed in the immediate field of vision of the main customer flow, that

1. waste batteries can be returned free of charge in the retail store and

2. the end user is legally obliged to return waste batteries.

(3) Retailers who supply batteries to end users through distance contracts shall provide the information required by Article 74(4) and (5) in conjunction with Article 74(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 in the version of 13 June 2024, and the information required by paragraphs 1 and 2, clearly and conspicuously by means of written and visual information in the display media they use, as well as in an easily accessible manner on their website or in writing with the goods shipment.

Section 5 – Registration of manufacturers

(1) Before a manufacturer places batteries falling within the scope of this Act on the market for the first time, it shall, or in the case of authorisation under Section 40(2) sentence 1, its authorised representative for extended producer responsibility shall, pursuant to Article 55(2) subparagraph 1 sentence 1 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, register the brand and the respective battery category referred to in Article 3(1) points 9 and 11 to 14 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 with the competent authority.

3. Electrical and electronic equipment – ElektroG

Section 17 – Take-back obligation of distributors

(1) Distributors with a sales area for electrical and electronic equipment of at least 400 square metres, as well as food distributors with a total sales area of at least 800 square metres that offer and make available electrical and electronic equipment several times in a calendar year or continuously, are obliged,

1. when supplying a new electrical or electronic device to an end user, to take back free of charge at the place of supply or in the immediate vicinity thereof a waste device of the end user of the same type that performs substantially the same functions as the new device and

2. at the request of the end user, to take back waste devices that do not exceed 25 centimetres in any external dimension free of charge in the retail store or in the immediate vicinity thereof; the take-back may not be conditional on the purchase of an electrical or electronic device and is limited to three waste devices per type of device.

(2) Paragraphs 1 and 1a also apply to distribution using means of remote communication. Paragraph 1 sentence 2 applies provided that the free collection is limited to electrical and electronic equipment of categories 1, 2 and 4. In this case, the sales area within the meaning of paragraph 1 sentence 1 first alternative shall mean all storage and shipping areas for electrical and electronic equipment, and the total sales area within the meaning of paragraph 1 sentence 1 second alternative shall mean all storage and shipping areas.

4. Packaging – VerpackDG

Section 6 – Registration; competent authority

(1) Manufacturers are obliged, in the case of Article 3(1) point 15 letters a to d of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 in the version of 19 December 2024, before the first time they make products available, or in the case of Article 3(1) point 15 letter e of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 in the version of 19 December 2024, before unpacking, to register with the Central Packaging Register.

Section 7 – Obligation to participate in a system

(1) Manufacturers of packaging for which participation in a system is required shall, in order to ensure comprehensive take-back, participate in one or more systems in the federal territory before making the packaging available or, in the case of Article 3(1) point 15 letter e of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 in the version of 19 December 2024, before unpacking packaged products.

Section 9 – Data reporting

(1) Manufacturers under Section 7(1) sentence 1 are obliged, immediately after submitting the information on the packaging provided under the framework of system participation to the system, also to submit it to the Central Packaging Register, stating at least the following data:

1. registration number;

2. type of material and dimensions of the packaging involved;

3. name of the system in which the system participation was carried out, and

4. period for which the system participation was carried out.

5. Price indications – PAngV

Section 3 – Obligation to state the total price

(1) Anyone who, as an entrepreneur, offers goods or services to consumers or, as a supplier of goods or services, advertises to consumers by stating prices, must state the total prices.

(2) Where appropriate to general commercial practice, the unit of sale or service and the quality designation to which the prices refer must also be stated.

(3) If a price is itemised, the total price must be highlighted.

Section 4 – Obligation to state the unit price

(1) Anyone who, as an entrepreneur, offers goods to consumers in prepackaged, open, or unlabelled sale units by weight, volume, length or area, or as a supplier of these goods advertises to consumers by stating prices, must state the unit price in addition to the total price in an unambiguous, clearly recognisable and easily legible manner.

Section 6 – Price indications in distance contracts

(1) Anyone who, as an entrepreneur, offers goods or services to consumers for the conclusion of a distance contract must state, in addition to the information required by Section 3(1) and (2) and Section 4(1) and (2),

1. that the prices required for goods or services include value added tax and other price components and

2. whether additional freight, delivery or shipping costs or other costs are incurred.

(2) If additional freight, delivery or shipping costs or other costs are incurred, their amount must be stated, insofar as these costs can reasonably be calculated in advance.

Section 11 – Additional price indication obligation for price reductions on goods

(1) Anyone obliged to state a total price must state to consumers, with every announcement of a price reduction on a good, the lowest total price that they have applied to consumers within the last 30 days before the application of the price reduction.

6. Online purchases and consumer rights – BGB / EGBGB

Section 312j BGB – Special obligations in electronic commerce towards consumers

(1) On websites for electronic commerce with consumers, the entrepreneur must state clearly and distinctly, in addition to the information under Section 312i(1), at the latest at the start of the ordering process, whether there are delivery restrictions and which means of payment are accepted.

(2) In the case of a consumer contract in electronic commerce that obliges the consumer to pay, the entrepreneur must make the legally required information available clearly and understandably in a highlighted manner immediately before the consumer submits their order.

(3) The entrepreneur must design the ordering process so that the consumer expressly confirms with their order that they are committing to a payment. If the order is placed via a button, it must be clearly legible and labelled with nothing other than the words “order with payment obligation” or with a corresponding clear wording.

Section 312g BGB – Right of withdrawal

(1) A consumer has a right of withdrawal pursuant to Section 355 for contracts concluded outside business premises and for distance contracts.

Section 355 BGB – Right of withdrawal for consumer contracts

(1) If a consumer is granted a right of withdrawal under this provision by law, neither the consumer nor the entrepreneur shall be bound by their declarations of intent aimed at concluding the contract if the consumer has revoked their declaration of intent within the time limit. The revocation is effected by a declaration to the entrepreneur. The consumer's decision to revoke the contract must clearly appear from the declaration. The revocation need not contain any justification.

(2) The revocation period is 14 days.

Section 437 BGB – Buyer's rights in the event of defects

If the item is defective, the buyer may, if the requirements of the following provisions are met and unless otherwise provided,

1. pursuant to Section 439 demand supplementary performance,

2. pursuant to Sections 440, 323 and 326(5) withdraw from the contract or pursuant to Section 441 reduce the purchase price and

3. pursuant to Sections 440, 280, 281, 283 and 311a claim damages or pursuant to Section 284 claim compensation for futile expenses.

Article 246a(1) EGBGB – Information obligations

(1) The entrepreneur is obliged to make the following information available to the consumer in particular:

1. the essential characteristics of the goods or services,

2. their identity as well as the address of the place where they are established,

3. their telephone number and e-mail address,

4. the total price of the goods or services including all taxes and levies,

5. any additional freight, delivery or shipping costs,

6. the payment, delivery and performance terms as well as the date by which the entrepreneur must deliver the goods,

7. the existence of a statutory right to claim for defects,

8. if applicable, the existence and conditions of customer service and warranties.

(2) If the consumer has a right of withdrawal, the entrepreneur is obliged to inform them about the conditions, time limits and procedure for exercising the right of withdrawal as well as about the model withdrawal form.