At Helene Galwas, we are dedicated to creating timeless fashion – always connected to a deep commitment to the highest quality, ethical production, and ecological responsibility.
As part of our commitment to sustainable practices, we closely monitor European environmental legislation to ensure that every package and shipment meets the highest standards. Today, we would like to inform you of an important adjustment regarding our international delivery destinations and explain how we are adapting to the changing regulatory framework in Europe.
What is changing?
Effective as of today, August 12, we have updated our delivery areas as follows:
-
Germany & Netherlands: Standard and express shipping remain fully available to you.
-
Worldwide Shipping (outside the EU): We continue to serve our international customers outside the European Union (including the USA, UK, Switzerland, and Asia) with our usual reliability.
-
25 EU Member States: Shipments to the remaining 25 EU countries are temporarily suspended via our online checkout.
Why we are temporarily pausing direct shipping to 25 EU countries
In recent years, the European Union and its individual member states have established national environmental guidelines within the framework of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as well as the new EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR / Regulation EU 2025/40).
Although these laws pursue a valuable and important goal – reducing packaging waste and building a functioning circular economy in Europe – every EU country currently applies its own individual system. To ship directly to consumers in all 27 EU member states, an independent company must manage 27 separate national registers, local licensing authorities, administrative verification procedures, and country-specific fee structures.
For an independent fashion label, setting up 25 individual administrative accounts involves significant operational effort and high bureaucratic costs. Rather than passing these administrative costs on to our customers through higher shipping fees or product prices, we have decided to temporarily pause the direct checkout for these 25 EU destinations while we work on a centralized compliance solution.
Our goal: Resumption of EU shipping shortly
We view this temporary suspension as an interim step. We are currently actively evaluating centralized international processing options that will allow us to seamlessly comply with local environmental regulations at all EU borders – without having to compromise on our fair pricing and our usual first-class service.
If you live in one of the affected EU countries and have questions about an order or a product request, our customer service team is happy to assist you personally at shop@helenegalwas.de!
We sincerely thank you for your patience, your understanding, and your shared passion for responsible fashion.
Reliable Sources & Official References
For customers, partners, and authorities who would like to learn more about the legal provisions shaping European packaging requirements in e-commerce:
-
European Commission — Directorate-General for Environment:
Official overview of the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR / Regulation EU 2025/40).
-
Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (ZSVR):
The official German packaging register for explanations regarding LUCID and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
-
E-Commerce Compliance Guide Europe:
Detailed explanation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in cross-border e-commerce.