Nextrend completes the entire cycle with RecycleMe

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As an international supplier of bathroom equipment, Nextrend GmbH is subject to a large number of legal requirements in the context of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In order to be able to optimally develop the distribution of Nextrend products, efficient management of the monitoring and processing of EPR requirements is imperative. With RecycleMe and Reclay, Nextrend ensures full-service support in the field of recycling, packaging management and producer responsibility.

The challenge: EPR as a critical factor for success

For companies like Nextrend it is not easy to establish a successful, cross-border distribution of products. Legal requirements, such as reporting obligations on the quantities of packaging or products placed on the market, registration obligations with Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) in the respective countries or legally prescribed labelling make it an even greater challenge, especially for medium-sized companies.

If online marketplaces also observe the fulfilment of these requirements for dealers and, in the worst case, restrict the sales activities of the dealer for individual countries, the Extended Producer Responsibility becomes a critical factor for success.

The solution: International know-how from RecycleMe and Reclay

In this case, manufacturers like Nextrend have only two options: Either the necessary expertise is built up internally or a reliable service provider is found. With over 20 years of experience in international producer responsibility, the group of companies around RecycleMe has a unique portfolio regarding the analysis and handling of EPR obligations.

Nextrend – bathroom furnishings at the highest level

Nextrend GmbH produces and sells freestanding bathtubs, shower enclosures as well as bathroom furniture and bathroom ceramics in specialist retail quality under the BERNSTEIN brand. With its own online shop “BERNSTEIN-Badshop”, Nextrend is one of the leading internet suppliers in the bathroom furnishings sector.

As part of the global Duravit Group, Nextrend employs more than 120 people in Germany and has satisfied customers with over 170,000 bathtubs, more than 350,000 shower enclosures and over 140,000 pieces of bathroom furniture in the past decade.

Responsible packaging management with Reclay

For a company of this size, the idea of sustainability and its own responsibility towards the environment and society is a central point of business development.

Nextrend has been licensing the packaging placed on the market in Germany by Reclay for several years. As a take-back system (PRO) and sister company of RecycleMe, Reclay organises the collection, sorting and subsequent recycling of packaging for its customers. This ensures that the packaging is kept in the cycle and important natural resources are conserved.

Producer responsibility goes beyond packaging licensing

Extended Producer Responsibility has been receiving more and more attention in recent months. Legislation is becoming more comprehensive and restrictive. Registration with a PRO such as Reclay is no longer the only requirement for Nextrend.

“We sell our products not only in Germany, but also in other countries such as France or Austria – for this we use online marketplaces such as Amazon, among others” reports Dennis Greuling, Managing Director Nextrend. “We have been contacted by these marketplaces in the past. We have to provide registration numbers and certificates for individual countries in order to be able to continue offering our products on these markets.” In an initial consultation with the experts of RecycleMe, these new requirements were discussed and Nextrend’s individual situation was analysed.

“Our goal is to gain an understanding of our customers’ specific case in order to develop the right solutions,” explains Florian Wagner, Circularity Manager at RecycleMe. “In a pre-check, we analyse which legal requirements are actually relevant for our customers. Does only packaging have to be licensed or, as in France for example, many other product categories as well? In the further course of our consulting, we monitor the developments on the different markets in order to be able to react immediately in case of changes”.

Nextrend completes the entire cycle

“With Nextrend we have a customer who demonstrates very well how we can cover the entire cycle with the services of our group of companies,” Wagner continues. “Reclay operates PROs in various countries worldwide so that the system participation obligations can be fulfilled. At RecycleMe we take care of the necessary notifications, registrations and legal changes.”

This includes, for example, the precise collection and documentation of packaging and product data. The data is recorded in the material and master data analysis and forms the necessary basis for the proper reporting of the quantities placed on the market. Checking the specifications for the correct labelling of packaging or products is also one of RecycleMe’s services.

Continuous cooperation in an international circular economy

“The services of RecycleMe and Reclay give us a good basis for efficiently aligning our processes with legal requirements,” says Greuling, describing the cooperation. “In workshops, we can exchange ideas and discuss our current challenges – this way, we always act in compliance with the law and fulfil our responsibility.”