What is the EU Packaging Directive? The EU Packaging Directive is about the testing of packaging and packaging waste for the purpose of managing/controlling packaging materials. The main reason is that packaging materials are often discarded arbitrarily by consumers after use and enter the environmental soil, where all the packaging materials are used. The harmful substances contained will directly pollute the environment.

Test objects include:

Product packaging carton, carton, wooden frame, film box, plastic bag, bubble bag, foam, polyron, fixture, sheet, rope, paint, ink, tape, glue, cable tie, label, manual, etc.

Note:

This Directive covers all packaging and all packaging waste placed on the Intracommunity market, whether it is applied or discarded in industry, commerce, offices, shops, services, households or any other area, regardless of the materials used.

The application of this Directive does not affect existing packaging quality requirements, such as packaging products for safety, protection of health and hygiene or for existing transport requirements or the provisions of Council Directive 91/689/EEC of 12 December 1991 on hazardous waste .

Controlled Substances and Limits

The EU Packaging Materials Directive (94/62/EC) regulates the high concentration limits of four heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium):

Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Hexavalent Chromium (Cr+6) <100ppm;

As of June 30, 2001, the total amount of lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and mercury in all packaging and packaging components must not exceed 100 ppm;

"Packaging components" are small parts of a package that can be easily separated by hand. Compliance with the Directive is shown by testing or based on results calculated from heavy metal testing of packaging materials.

Packaging materials not only need to comply with EU packaging directives, but also REACH and POPs regulations

On November 12, 2021, the EU Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) for non-food consumer products issued a notification A12/01521/21. According to the notification information, the transparent plastics of the outer packaging of the products contained excessive amounts of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), with measured values of 26% and 0.53%, respectively , does not meet the requirements of EU REACH Regulation ((EC) No 1907/2006) and POPs Regulation ((EU) 2019/1021).

The EU REACH regulations and POPs regulations have the following requirements for the control of these two substances in articles:

Substance: DEHP

Control requirements: DBP, BBP, DEHP, DIBP < 0.1% in the plastic materials of all items;

Substances: SCCPs

Control requirements: SCCPs < 0.15% in the article.

Therefore, in addition to meeting the requirements of the Packaging Materials Directive on heavy metals, packaging materials also need to meet the control requirements of REACH regulations and POPs regulations for articles and products.