Hi! We’re researching how Shopify merchants selling physical products into the EU are currently handling packaging EPR / PPWR requirements.
We’re particularly interested in what’s still manual, confusing or time-consuming - things like packaging weights, reporting, registrations and supplier data.
We’ve made a short 2-minute survey to understand how merchants are handling this today. We’re not selling anything, this is purely research before deciding whether to build anything.
Interesting research. Compliance is definitely a headache for merchants selling into the EU especially around packaging weights and supplier data.
I’ve seen merchants struggle with keeping track of packaging weights per product and having to chase suppliers for accurate data. It’s one of those things that becomes a problem only when you’re deep into it.
What’s your focus helping merchants simplify the reporting side, or more about streamlining the registration and compliance process?"
Thanks, that’s really helpful. We’re still validating the problem at the moment rather than committing to a specific solution.
We’re looking at both, but the reporting side is particularly interesting, especially turning Shopify order/product data into the packaging data needed for different EU markets.
From what you’ve seen, is there anything in particular that merchants struggle with most when managing packaging/EPR compliance?
Thanks for the follow-up. From what I’ve seen, the biggest struggles tend to be:
1. Data collection at the product level. Merchants often don’t have packaging weights recorded per product. They might know the weight of the box, but not the individual components (inner packaging, labels, inserts). And chasing suppliers for this data is time-consuming—some don’t even have it themselves.
2. Keeping data updated. Packaging changes—a supplier switches materials, a product gets a new box, or regulations change. Keeping everything current across hundreds of products becomes a maintenance headache.
3. Different requirements across EU countries. It’s not one set of rules—it varies by country. Merchants struggle with knowing which rules apply to which products for which markets.
4. Reporting frequency. Some markets require annual reporting, others more frequent. Merchants often don’t realize they need to report until it’s almost due.
On the Shopify side: the challenge is connecting product data (weight, materials, country of origin) to the compliance reporting without manual spreadsheet work. If you can streamline that connection, you’d be solving a real pain point.
What markets are you seeing the most demand for? The requirements vary quite a bit between Germany, France, and the UK."