The Green Dot: Should I use it for my e-commerce business?

But what about e-commerce? Should I be using the Green Dot on e-commerce packaging?

First, it is important to know that you need a license to use the Green Dot for e-commerce. And that is the real problem. There is usually only one compliance scheme in each country that offers the Green Dot license. In Germany, that would be the “Duales System Deutschland GmbH”. If you have licensed your packaging with another compliance scheme, you need an additional contract with the Green Dot licenser and basically pay double fees.

It gets more complicated when you ship to various other countries, because you need an individual Green Dot license in each country. I.e. if you have a Green Dot license in Germany, for instance, you cannot ship products with the Green Dot trademark on them to France. Unless you obtain a French Green Dot license, that is. While most compliance schemes we recommend as part of our service can offer you the Green Dot license in their countries at no additional cost, this means that you even have to sign a contract with them when you actually have no obligations in a country due to minimum thresholds or other reasons. So, while smaller e-commerce businesses are often only obligated in a few countries, as soon as you want to use the Green Dot on your packaging, you’d have to pay the fees in every country. Due to registration fees, minimum fees or administrative fees, this can quickly become very expensive if you ship EU-wide.

The Green Dot can quickly become a cost trap for companies which offer international shipping.

We therefore advise against using the Green Dot for e-commerce businesses. While the Green Dot symbol enjoys high brand recognition among European consumers, this awareness alone does not create a meaningful competitive advantage or drive purchasing decisions. The additional costs and administrative effort required to license the symbol in multiple markets usually don’t justify its use for online retailers.

Take care if you sell products from other producers with the Green Dot trademark on them to customers abroad.

It is especially dangerous if you sell products abroad for which the producer has only obtained the Green Dot license in your home country. In this case you (as the exporter) are obligated to ensure that the Green Dot license in your target markets are obtained. It is best to clarify with your suppliers whether the required Green Dot licenses abroad have been obtained, or re-pack your products (i.e. remove the Green Dot) before shipping them abroad. Then again, re-packing all products for export will produce the double amount of packaging waste and is arguably not a very sustainable thing to do.

The Green Dot is not mandatory anymore

While the Green Dot used to be mandatory on packaging in most European countries, this is not the case anymore today. France even tried to phase out the Green Dot in 2021 altogether and completely replace it by its own Triman Logo. However, the French Supreme Court has ruled that penalty payments on the Green Dot may be unlawful. The Green Dot may still be used on packaging in France. Yet, since the Green Dot must be licensed in each country separately, international e-commerce businesses face high barriers when selling across Europe.

The bottom line

Despite its broad consumer recognition, the Green Dot offers limited marketing value for e-commerce businesses. The combination of licensing fees, administrative complexity, and the risk of double costs across multiple markets usually makes it an impractical choice. Instead, focus on fulfilling your EPR obligations through appropriate registration with packaging compliance schemes in your target markets, without the additional burden of Green Dot licensing.

Do you have any additional questions regarding the Green Dot and ist implications for e-commerce? Please let us know!