About Us
ÖKO-Pannon was founded in 1996 by leading packaging manufacturers and fillers, packers to fulfill future obligations regarding packaging waste management of the industry.
In 2002 the government decree on packaging was published which was the implementation of the packaging and packaging waste directive. In fact that was the introduction of the extended producer responsibility and the shared responsibility principal..
In 2002 the government decree on packaging was published which was the implementation of the packaging and packaging waste directive. In fact that was the introduction of the extended producer responsibility and the shared responsibility principal.
Between 2003 and 2011
the EPR scheme was taking care of the obligation of the industry.
In that period ÖKO-Pannon fulfilled and overfulfilled every year the targets set by the law. Besides the fulfilled target the activity of ÖKO-Pannon generated an agregated savings of 300 billion HUF for industry.
From 2012 ÖKO-Pannon has been working as a consultant company providing services in connection with environmental product charge and Green Dot trademark.
The mission of ÖKO-Pannon is to re-establish the waste management system for collection, recycling and recovery of post consumer waste in Hungary based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and industrial leadership.
ÖKO-Pannon is member of PRO-EUROPE (www.pro-europe.com) since 2000 and a member of EXPRA (www.expra.com) since 2013.
Services
Due to the new legislation of environmental product charge put into force in January 2012, ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. has launched consultancy service on compliance with actual environmental product charge and waste law for packaging emitters.
According to the legislations in Hungary all companies are obliged to pay an environmental tax (official name: environmental product charge) to the National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA; abbreviated Hungarian name: NAV).
The object of the charge is the packaging material instead of the packaging and therefore packers are directly not subject of the law for domestic products.
In case of products produced abroad the importer company is responsible for the charge, i.e. the company who imports, and sells the product in Hungary at the first time (with the first HU-VAT Nr. invoice) or uses it for their own purposes.
Product charge representation
- interpretation and use of laws in force regulating product charge with consideration to the company’s range of products
- classification of product into the proper product charge category
- preparing the registration to the National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA)
- preparing the quarterly declarations
- self-auditing
Optimization consultancy with relation to products liable to product charge
Supervision related to the fulfilment of recovery and recycling obligation and product charge reports, review of NAV reports both in terms of running year and previous years
Consultancy in the field of fulfilment of international recovery and recycling obligation
Consultancy and coordination of self-compliance
SUP - Consultancy on single use plastic directive
Green Dot – Der Grüne Punkt
The legal usage of the trademark
What is Green Dot?
The Green Dot (’Der Grüne Punkt’) is a trademark being under international protection, that is used in commerce on the packaging of products and goods. The Trademark is used to indicate that the company which is entitled to use it – producer or distributor of the packaged products – complies with legal rules regarding packaging, European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, substantive requirements regarding packaging fixed in it and EU standards about environmental protection and packaging.
By right of the licence of the trademark owner PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l. international organisation and the registration by the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (registration numbers: 653450, 653449, 585714 and 585713) ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. is exclusively entitled to the usage of the Green Dot Trademark in Hungary.
Sub-licencies
On the basis of the above information the producers and importers of Green Dot marked products have permission to use the trademark on the packaging of their products only by the further authority (sub-licence) of ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc., the exclusively entitled organisation, at a charge of trademark fee. The proviso of the authorisation of usage the Green Dot trademark which means the right of sub-licence is to enter into a trademark-using contract.
The concerned companies that use or wish to use the Green Dot trademark on the packaging of their products are obliged to make a trademark using contract with ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. for legal usage.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Which components of the packaging does the right of trademark usage concern?
All the packaging components and types that has the Green Dot trademark on it, this means it concerns both the consumer and gatherer packaging.
What is the basis of paying trademark licence fee in case of packaging?
The basis of paying a trademark licence fee is the weight of packaging labelled by Green Dot or you can choose to pay a flat rate.
If the Green Dot can be seen on one part of packaging (e.g. on sticker or foil of PET bottle), paying the trademark licence fee is required on the basis of the whole packaging (consumer packaging).
How and how long should you pay the trademark licence fee?
According to the trademark licence contract, you should pay on the basis of packaging weight sent quarterly or as a flat rate until the 25th day after supplying of data.
Who is obligated to pay trademark licence fee?
Contrary to the environmental product charge regulation which has been in force from 2012, the first domestic emitter of the packaged product is obligated to pay the trademark licence fee, including the importers and distributors of imported products as well.
How can legal using of Green Dot trademark be provided?
To provide the legal using of the trademark, you need to make a trademark licence contract with ÖKO-Pannon who is the only obligee to licence using the Green Dot in Hungary.
What kind of consequences can you expect if you use the trademark illegally?
In the case of using the trademark in an unauthorized way, without a trademark licence contract, then using the trademark is considered a usurpation of trademark. To abolish the trademark usurpation, ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit PLC can initiate a monitoring process and start a civil and criminal action.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. is convinced that the extended producer responsibility principle is the optimal solution in fulfilling environmental targets in combination with economic needs and active as well in widening of self-compliance.
Since the adaption of the EU Circular Economy Package in 2018 increased recycling quotas are adopted and high attention is paid to the extended producer responsibility principles (EPR).
In case the Hungarian government follows best European Practices and the obligation is transferred to fillers / packers, ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. is.
ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc as former well functioning EPR organisation has the necessary know-how to help industry reaching recycling targets.
In the last years ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. in alliance with professional organisations and leading packaging manufacturers proposed changes in the legislation, developed recommendations in line with the new requirements.
ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Plc. maintained in the last years the professional knowledge on the field of packaging collection and recycling.
