packaging-compliance

name	packaging-compliance
description	Use when registering for EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) in EU member states, checking packaging waste obligations, selecting recycling symbols for labels, assessing single-use plastics restrictions, calculating plastic tax liability, or preparing packaging composition declarations

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

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: