EU Packaging Rules Push Small Tabletop RPG Publishers Out of the Market
PPWR lands another blow to an precarious tabletop industry
The EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is forcing small tabletop RPG publishers to stop shipping to EU countries. Designers like Josh Fox of Black Armada and Jason Pitre of Genesis of Legend Publishing cite complex, country-specific fees and compliance costs as prohibitive. Some have halted sales entirely, while others face losing a significant share of revenue. The regulation, effective August 12, replaces the 1994 directive and adds to existing challenges like tariffs and the GPSR, leaving the industry in a precarious state.
Taken together, this directly impacts two thirds of my customers. The business of making physical products seems increasingly difficult to justify.
- gerdesj
The article simply states "we must comply with some regs" and nothing else of substance.
There is no indications of what registration implies nor what packaging is actually required. We get this:
"That’s because one of the primary issues they face is the sheer amount of resources that they need to invest into remaining PPWR compliant."
but no indication of what that means.
This is a whine and whinge piece without any substance. I'm sure there are issues but there is nothing substantive here.
- em-bee
this article is a bit confusing because it talks about businesses outside of the EU. the PPWR affects businesses within the EU even more. businesses outside have a good chance to get away with ignoring the regulations because the EU will have a tough time to enforce them outside their borders. businesses in the EU however have no chance to escape.
and this isn't just tabletop games. this is any business shipping anything anywhere. even when just shipping a single package in a year. the problem is that compliance costs several hundred dollars per country per year. among other things, a representative needs to be named for each country[1]. those are going to cost money. that means unless you make thousands of dollars in profits in any single country, you can't afford shipping to that country any more.
realistically speaking, this law is so dumb that i expect that we'll see a revision soon, because it effectively destroys the EU single market for small businesses.
there is talk about exceptions for micro-businesses, but for one those seem to be optional, and they may not apply to cross-border shipping which is the big problem here.
[1] i looked it up: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj/eng
(paragraph 123) when the packaging or the packaged product is made available by means of distance contracts directly to the end user, the producer could also be established in another Member State or in a third country. In such cases, if the producer is established in another Member […]
- xp84
For all the regulations that have arguable merits, the EU loves to also do stupid ones like this one. As though the packaging of board games is what's clogging the landfills and oceans. The packaging is used to hold the actual game for its whole lifetime!!
If they're really just trying to target industries which DO produce a ton of packaging waste, then they should target it better.
- intrasight
It is wasteful inefficient regulation. Just fine companies 10% of revenue for not following the rules and everyone will comply. Give 1% of the fine to the whistleblower. Market mechanisms.
- Cameri
You'll now pay a compliant packaging company to package goods for you.