Michael Öttinger

Lawyer / Senior Associate

Michael Öttinger

Michael Öttinger specializes in advising national and international companies in all areas of product-related environmental law. In this context, Michael Öttinger advises companies from all industries with regard to existing regulatory requirements on extended producer responsibility. This includes, for example, the regulation of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, packaging and end-of-life vehicles. His advice also focuses on the rapidly increasing sustainability requirements, for example through the EU Battery Regulation and the planned EU Packaging Regulation. In addition, he also advises on product-related requirements under substance law, such as those arising from the REACH and POPs Regulations and the RoHS Directive, and on formal and substantive requirements for cosmetic products. Another focus of his advice is on national and European requirements for human rights and environmental due diligence in the supply chain.

Michael Öttinger advises in connection with the structured determination of the respective roles and product-related applicability in all areas of his consulting spectrum. Based on this, he supports his clients in the identification and implementation of existing obligations and subsequently in the implementation of tailored compliance measures to avoid liability risks. Due to the increasing harmonization, especially through the EU Battery Regulation and the planned EU Packaging Regulation, Europe-wide implementation approaches are in the focus of the advice. However, where necessary - as is often the case due to national legal peculiarities - Michael Öttinger regularly cooperates with partner law firms in all relevant jurisdictions in international projects and coordinates the respective projects for his clients. Within the scope of his advisory services, Michael Öttinger also provides support in planning and implementing the necessary measures to deal with identified infringements. In addition, he assists in the conception, preparation and implementation of communication campaigns in the supply chain to obtain the information required for compliance and, if necessary, also in the evaluation of software solutions used with regard to their contribution to compliance. In this context, Michael Öttinger often also adapts relevant contractual clauses in general purchasing and business terms and conditions in order to ensure the most comprehensive compliance with the respective requirements, in particular in the area of substance law and product-related compliance.

Michael Öttinger also advises companies on product-related aspects of chemicals law, including in particular the European REACH and POPs Regulations as well as the RoHS Directive. His expertise also includes advising on issues relating to the SCIP notification requirement, from regulatory requirements to the development of communication strategies. In addition to the above-mentioned cross-product topics, Michael Öttinger specializes in cosmetics law and provides support on the formal and substantive requirements for the marketing of cosmetic products in the EU.

Against the backdrop of steadily increasing regulatory trends in the area of human rights and environmental due diligence obligations in the supply chain, for example under the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, under the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains and under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), Michael Öttinger also advises on the legal implications in this area. This includes, in particular, determining the specific applicability of the requirements in individual cases and advising on the scope of the respective obligations in the context of concrete implementation within the company.

  • legal studies at the University of Bayreuth, with emphasis on public law
  • Additional economic training at the University of Bayreuth (Wirtschaftsjurist Univ. Bayreuth)
  • Public Administration additional studies at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer
  • Work at an international auditing and management consultancy firm in Moscow/Russia as part of his legal clerkship
  • Training as economic mediator (MuCDR)
  • since 2018, lawyer admitted at the Munich Chamber of Lawyers
  • lawyer in an international law firm, specialising in chemicals regulation and product-related environmental law
  • Speaker for all topics in the field of chemicals law and product-related environmental law, in particular at specialist conferences and in workshops
  • since 2019, lawyer at the Produktkanzlei

 

Languages: German, English, French (advanced basic knowledge), Russian (advanced basic knowledge)

The complete list of Michael Öttingers writings can be found here.

Selected publications:

  • Der Trend der EU-Lebenszyklusregulierung setzt sich fort – kreislauforientierte Konstruktion von Fahrzeugen und Entsorgung von Altfahrzeugen, RAW 2024, S. 65 ff.
  • Stoffbeschränkungen in der EU-Batterieverordnung und weiteren aktuellen EU-Vorschlägen, StoffR 2024, S. 1 ff.
  • Die EU-Batterieverordnung – Neue Pflichten für Akteure der Batteriewirtschaft, 2023
  • Produktbezogenes Umweltrecht für Medizinprodukte, MPR 2023, p. 121 ff.
  • Anmerkung zum Beschluss des BVerwG vom 09.01.2023 – 10 AV 1.23 - Negativer Kompetenzkonflikt zwischen Verwaltungsgerichten bei Beliehenem als Bundesbehörde (with Jennifer Mochkaai), GewArch 2023, p. 218 ff.
  • BB-Rechtsprechungsreport zum Produktrecht 2022 – Teil I (with Dr. Carsten Schucht), BB 2023, p. 899 et seq. and Teil II (with Dr. Carsten Schucht), BB 2023, p. 963 ff.
  • Erweiterte Herstellerverantwortung im Vergleich – Deutschland und Österreich (with Dr. Reka Krasznai), EuZW 2023, p. 311 ff.
  • Anpassungen am Elektro- und Elektronikgerätegesetz – Auswirkungen der Einbeziehung neuer Akteure, Erfolg fachlicher Beteiligung und sanktionsrechtliche Ungereimtheiten, ZfPC 2023, p. 41 ff.
  • Produktbezogenes Umweltrecht – Stehen sich die beteiligten Akteure selbst und gegenseitig im Weg?, ESG 2022, p. 258 ff.
  • Online-Marktplätze im Produktrecht (mit Dr. Carsten Schucht), BB 2022, p. 2435 ff.
  • Umweltrechtliche Belange im Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, CB 2022, p. 345 ff.
  • Evaluating the Draft of the European Battery Regulation – from an end-of-life perspective to a lifecycle approach, elni Review 2021 (available HERE)
  • Aktuelle Entwicklungen im produktbezogenen Umweltrecht, ZfPC 2022, p. 2 et seq. (available HERE)
  • Das Batterierecht im Wandel der Zeit - bestehende und bevorstehende Anforderungen an die Automobilbranche, RAW 2022, p. 52 ff.
  • ElektroG-Novelle 2021 - Inkrafttreten der neuen Vorgaben steht bevor, GewArch 2021, p. 487 ff.