packaging-compliance

# Packaging Compliance Packaging regulations by market. EPR registration, waste directives, recycling symbols, plastic taxes, and SUP restrictions. ## MCP Tools ``` # Search for packaging regulation signals mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="packaging waste", limit=25) mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="EPR registration", limit=25) mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="single-use plastics", limit=25) mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="PPWR", limit=25) # Get regulation details for packaging directives mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__get_regulation(id="<regulation-id>") mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__list_regulations(limit=100) # Check landed cost impact of packaging taxes mcp__claude_ai_CLEO_LEGAL_API__customs/landed-cost hs_code: "<product-hs-code>" origin: "<origin>" destination: "<destination>" product_value: <value> ``` ## EPR Registration Decision Tree ```dot digraph { rankdir=TB; node [shape=box style=rounded fontsize=10]; sell [label="Selling packaged products\nin this market?" shape=diamond]; no [label="No EPR obligation"]; threshold [label="Check de minimis\nthreshold" shape=diamond]; register [label="Register with national\nEPR scheme"]; declare [label="Declare packaging\nvolumes annually"]; pay [label="Pay eco-contribution\nper material per kg"]; report [label="Annual reporting\n+ audit (if above threshold)"]; symbols [label="Apply required\nrecycling symbols"]; sell -> no [label="NO"]; sell -> threshold [label="YES"]; threshold -> register [label="above threshold\nor no threshold"]; threshold -> no [label="below (rare)"]; register -> declare -> pay -> report -> symbols; } ``` ## EPR by EU Member State | Country | Scheme | Registration Portal | Annual Fee (SME) | Eco-Contribution | Deadline | |---------|--------|--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|----------| | **France** | CITEO | citeo.com | EUR 80 (HT) | EUR 0.05-0.25/kg by material | Annual declaration by Feb 28 | | **Germany** | ZSVR/Lucid | verpackungsregister.org | Free registration | EUR 0.10-1.40/kg via dual system (Der Gruene Punkt, BellandVision, etc.) | Before first sale | | **Italy** | CONAI | conai.org | EUR 25 entry | EUR 5-660/tonne by material | Annual declaration by May 20 | | **Spain** | Ecoembes (household) / SIGRE (pharma) | ecoembes.com | EUR 0 (built into contribution) | EUR 0.05-0.50/kg by material | Annual declaration | | **Netherlands** | Afvalfonds Verpakkingen | afvalfonds.nl | Based on revenue tier | EUR 0.01-1.00/kg by material | Annual declaration by March 1 | | **Belgium** | Fost Plus (household) / VAL-I-PAC (commercial) | fostplus.be | EUR 100-500 setup | EUR 0.03-0.90/kg | Annual declaration | | **Austria** | ARA | ara.at | EUR 100 setup | EUR 0.10-0.80/kg | Before first sale | | **Poland** | BDO registry | bdo.mos.gov.pl | Free registration | EUR 0.01-0.50/kg | Annual declaration | | **Sweden** | FTI | ftiab.se | SEK 2,000 (EUR ~175) | SEK 0.10-3.00/kg | Before first sale | **Remote sellers rule (EU)**: If you sell online from outside a member state directly to consumers in that state, YOU are the producer responsible for EPR. Amazon and marketplaces enforce this -- they block listings without EPR registration numbers. ## PPWD to PPWR Transition | Aspect | Current: PPWD (94/62/EC) | New: PPWR (EU) 2025/40 | |--------|--------------------------|----------------------| | Legal form | Directive (transposed nationally) | Regulation (directly applicable) | | Recyclability | Voluntary targets | Mandatory: 100% recyclable by 2030 | | Recycled content | No mandatory minimum | Plastic packaging: 35% by 2030, 65% by 2040 | | Reuse targets | None | 10% of beverage packaging by 2030 | | Excessive packaging | General principle | Empty space ratio max 50% from 2030 | | Labeling | National symbols | Harmonized EU labeling (material ID + sorting) | | DRS | National discretion | Mandatory for PET bottles and aluminium cans by 2029 | | Timeline | In force | Entered into force 11 Feb 2025; applies from 12 Aug 2026; obligations phase 2026-2040 | ## Required Symbols by Market | Symbol | Market | What It Means | When Required | |--------|--------|---------------|---------------| | **Triman** | France | Product is recyclable, sort for recycling | ALL recyclable consumer packaging sold in France | | **Info-tri** | France | Sorting instructions alongside Triman | Since Jan 2022 for ALL packaging | | **Der Gruene Punkt** | Germany | Producer contributes to recycling system | Mandatory if registered with a dual system using this mark (otherwise optional) | | **Tidyman** | UK, others | Dispose of responsibly | Voluntary but widely expected | | **OPRL** | UK | On-Pack Recycling Label (Recycle / Don't Recycle / Check Locally) | Voluntary but standard practice for UK retail | | **Mobius Loop** | International | Material is recyclable | Voluntary; misleading if material is NOT recyclable in practice | | **Material ID codes** | EU (PPWR) | Plastic: 1-7 (PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, Other). Metal: 40-41. Paper: 20-22. Glass: 70-72. | Mandatory under PPWR from 2028 | | **WEEE bin** | EU | Electronics recycling | ALL electrical/electronic equipment (crossed-out wheelie bin) | | **Battery symbol** | EU | Battery recycling | ALL products containing batteries (crossed-out wheelie bin + Pb/Cd/Hg chemical symbols when lead/cadmium/mercury exceed thresholds) | ### France Triman + Info-Tri (Mandatory Since Jan 2022) The Triman logo + sorting instructions must appear on ALL packaging sold in France: - On-pack: Triman + text or pictogram indicating correct bin - Size minimum: 6mm height for Triman - CITEO provides free pictogram generator: citeo.com/info-tri - Non-compliance fine: EUR 15,000 per product reference ## Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive 2019/904 | Item | Restriction | Effective | |------|-------------|-----------| | Cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, sticks | **Market ban** | July 2021 | | Expanded polystyrene food containers | **Market ban** | July 2021 | | Oxo-degradable plastics | **Market ban** | July 2021 | | Beverage containers (bottles) | Tethered caps mandatory | July 2024 | | PET bottles | 25% recycled content by 2025, 30% by 2030 | Phased | | Tobacco filters | EPR obligation | Dec 2024 | | Wet wipes | Labeling: "contains plastic" | July 2021 | ## Plastic Tax | Market | Rate | Scope | Effective | |--------|------|-------|-----------| | **UK** | GBP 217.85/tonne (2024) | Plastic packaging with < 30% recycled content, manufactured or imported into UK, > 10 tonnes/year | April 2022 | | **Italy** | EUR 0.45/kg | Single-use plastic products (enforcement delayed to July 2026) | Delayed | | **Spain** | EUR 0.45/kg | Non-reusable plastic packaging | Jan 2023 | | **EU-wide** | EUR 0.80/kg of non-recycled plastic | Paid by member states (not directly by companies -- funded through national budgets) | Jan 2021 | **UK Plastic Packaging Tax**: Applies to ALL plastic packaging with < 30% recycled content. Exemptions: < 10 tonnes/year, medical packaging, transit packaging. Registration required via HMRC. ## US Packaging Laws | State | Law | Key Requirements | Effective | |-------|-----|-----------------|-----------| | **California** | SB 54 (Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act) | EPR for all packaging; 65% source reduction by 2032; 100% recyclable/compostable by 2032 | Jan 2024 (phased) | | **Maine** | LD 1541 (EPR for Packaging) | EPR program managed by stewardship organization; eco-modulated fees | Jul 2024 (phased) | | **Oregon** | SB 582 (Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act) | EPR + truth-in-labeling for recyclability claims | Jul 2025 | | **Colorado** | HB 22-1355 (Producer Responsibility for Recycling Act) | EPR; needs assessment phase 2024-2025, fee collection starts 2026 | Phased | | **Minnesota** | HF 3911 (Packaging Waste & Cost Reduction Act) | EPR for all packaging; producer responsibility organization; eco-modulated fees | 2025 registration, fees phasing ~2029 | | **Washington** | Recycling Reform Act (2025) | EPR for packaging + paper products | Phased | The US has no federal packaging law -- it is a growing state patchwork. Track each state where you ship: registration deadlines and fee structures differ, and more states pass EPR each session. ## Wood Packaging -- ISPM 15 (Phytosanitary) Solid-wood packaging used in international shipments -- pallets, crates, dunnage, bracing, spools -- must be heat-treated (HT, core 56 degC for 30 min) or fumigated, then stamped with the IPPC/ISPM 15 mark (wheat symbol + ISO country code + producer code + treatment code). Required on import by virtually all markets (EU, US, China, Australia, Canada, India...). Non-compliant wood means the **entire shipment** can be refused, treated, or destroyed at the border at the importer's cost. Processed wood (plywood, OSB, particleboard) and pieces 6mm thick or less are exempt. ## Industrial vs Household Packaging EPR is not only household packaging. Most schemes run a **separate B2B / industrial & commercial stream** for transport and secondary/tertiary packaging exchanged between businesses: - **France**: distinct commercial/industrial packaging flow alongside the household stream. - **Belgium**: VAL-I-PAC (commercial/industrial) vs Fost Plus (household). - **Germany**: VerpackG (the law behind LUCID/ZSVR) covers both; system vs. transport packaging obligations differ. A product such as a server, UPS, or appliance shipped to a business often falls under the **industrial** stream, not the household PRO -- mapping it to the wrong stream means registering with the wrong scheme. ## India -- Plastic Packaging EPR The **Plastic Waste Management Rules 2022** introduce mandatory EPR for plastic packaging: producers, importers, and brand-owners register on the **CPCB** EPR portal, meet category-wise recycling and recycled-content targets, and file annual returns. Applies to imported products placed on the Indian market with plastic packaging. ## Asia-Pacific Packaging Rules ### South Korea -- Over-Packaging (Space Ratio + Layers) Korea actively enforces **over-packaging** limits under the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources and its packaging-method standards: - **Packaging space ratio** (empty space inside the box) is capped per product category -- gift sets (cosmetics, perfume, food assortments) face some of the strictest caps. A big decorative gift-set box with mostly empty space fails inspection. - **Number of packaging layers** is also limited (often to a small number of layers). - ⚠️ The exact percentage and layer count depend on the product category and have been tightening -- **verify the current category threshold** before designing a Korean gift set, do not assume a fixed figure. - Separate **EPR** for packaging runs via KECO/producer recycling obligations. Non-compliance: inspection failure, fines, and rework -- a recurring blocker for luxury coffrets entering Korea. ### Australia & New Zealand -- APCO / Product Stewardship | Market | Scheme | Status | Notes | |--------|--------|--------|-------| | **Australia** | APCO (Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation) + Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) | Co-regulatory; **reform underway toward mandatory obligations** | 2025 packaging reform moving from voluntary covenant to regulated design + recycled-content + reporting requirements -- still phasing, watch closely | | **New Zealand** | Product stewardship (Waste Minimisation Act) + shared ARL | Voluntary / phasing | Same trajectory as Australia; ARL label shared across both | These are not yet hard bans, but the direction is set -- design packaging now as if APCO obligations and recyclability labelling were mandatory. ## Packaging Composition Declaration Template ``` PACKAGING DECLARATION -- [Product Name] -- [Date] PRIMARY PACKAGING (touches product): Material: [e.g., PET, HDPE, glass, aluminium] Weight: [g] Recycled content: [%] Material ID code: [1-7 for plastic, 20-22 paper, 40-41 metal, 70-72 glass] Recyclable: [YES/NO in practice] Contains SUP component: [YES/NO] SECONDARY PACKAGING (box, sleeve): Material: [e.g., cardboard, kraft paper] Weight: [g] Recycled content: [%] FSC/PEFC certified: [YES/NO] TERTIARY PACKAGING (shipping): Material: [e.g., corrugated cardboard, stretch wrap] Weight per unit: [g] TOTAL PACKAGING WEIGHT PER UNIT: [g] TOTAL PLASTIC PER UNIT: [g] RECYCLED CONTENT (plastic): [%] UK PLASTIC TAX LIABLE: [YES/NO -- < 30% recycled plastic AND > 10 tonnes/year] ``` ## Power This With the Cleo Legal API EPR is fragmented per-country, per-material, per-PRO — exactly what an API normalizes. PPWR/SUP/plastic tax rules also shift constantly. **With the Cleo Legal API at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co:** - `GET /v2/search?q=EPR+packaging&country=FR,DE,IT,ES,NL,BE,AT,PL,SE` — current scheme, PRO, eco-modulated fees, and deadlines for every EU member state - `GET /v2/search?q=PPWR&type=regulation` — track the phased PPWR transition (recyclability 2030, recycled content 35% by 2030, reuse targets) before retailer requirements bite - `GET /v2/search?q=plastic+tax&country=UK,IT,ES` — current rates (GBP 217.85/tonne UK, EUR 0.45/kg ES) with effective dates - `POST /v2/webhooks?topic=epr_deadlines` — get pinged 30-90 days before each country's annual declaration deadline (LUCID May 15, CITEO Feb 28…) - `GET /v2/authorities/:slug` — direct portal URLs for CITEO, LUCID/ZSVR, CONAI, Ecoembes, Afvalfonds, FTI **Get started:** ``` # 1. Sign up for free at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co # 2. Get your API key (3 lifetime requests free, then €349/mo for 1M) # 3. Install the MCP server: