Regulation (EU) 2025/40 · in application Repealed Directive 94/62/EC — 12 Aug 2026 Last reviewed 2026-08-16
Requirements Timeline Evidence Packaging Check packaging Updates Testing Source compliant packaging
Find it by your packaging

Start from what you actually ship.

Almost nobody arrives asking about Article 6. They arrive asking whether their mailer is still legal in 2030. Enter from material, from format, or from the sector you sell into.

5 materials · 9 formats · 8 industries
Most exposed format
E-commerce
Hardest material
Composite
Earliest hard date
2028-08-12
Biggest step
2030-01-01
Last reviewed
2026-08-16

By material

Each material carries its own recyclability route, recycled-content rules and testing methods.

See the cross reference →
PET, polyethylene film, polypropylene closure and multilayer plastic packaging samples Plastic PET · PE · PP · Multilayer Art. 6Art. 7 Kraft paper, corrugated board and coated carton board material samples Paper & board Kraft · Corrugated · Coated Art. 6Art. 5 Clear, amber and green glass packaging material samples Glass Flint · Amber · Green Art. 29 Aluminium and steel packaging cans, foil and coated metal samples Metal Aluminium · Steel Art. 29 Composite packaging with paper, polymer and barrier layers separated for inspection Composite Laminates · Barrier films Hardest case

By packaging type

Format decides which articles apply. Empty space and minimisation hit transport and e-commerce hardest.

Check a format →
Kraft ecommerce mailer and right-sized shipping box Mailers & e-commerceArt. 10 · 24 · 12 — most exposed format Flexible plastic bag, mono-material pouch and sealed sachet packaging formats Bags & pouchesArt. 6 · 7 Folding cartons and corrugated boxes showing different board structures Boxes & cartonsArt. 10 · 24 Clear stretch film, film roll and high-barrier packaging wrap samples Films & wrapsArt. 6 · 25 Corrugated transport box, reusable transit crate and grouped carton packaging Transport & grouped packagingArt. 24 · 27 · 29 — reuse targets from 2030 Clear, amber and green glass bottles and jars with separate closures Bottles & jarsArt. 7 · 29 · DRS from 2029 Moulded fibre insert, corrugated divider, kraft paper and air-pillow protective packaging Protective & void fillArt. 24 — counts as empty space

By industry

Sector rules differ. Food contact, cosmetics and beverages each carry obligations the framework alone does not tell you about.

ApparelPolybags · Mailers E-commerceArt. 24 exposure CosmeticsAnnex V bans Food & beveragePFAS · DRS PPE & industrialTransport reuse ElectronicsProtective packaging Pharma & healthExemptions apply Logistics & 3PLFills to order
Food & beverage PFAS thresholds on food-contact packaging, deposit return marking for in-scope containers, and tighter recycled-content rules for contact-sensitive plastics. In force2029
E-commerce & 3PL The empty space cap reaches whoever fills the box to order, not only the party that manufactured it. Box ranges and pick-and-pack become compliance surfaces. 2030
Cosmetics & personal care Annex V prohibits several familiar formats outright, including hotel miniatures and some grouped multipack films. 2030
Apparel High polybag volumes put Article 7 recycled content and Article 6 grading on the critical path, usually before anything else in the portfolio. 2030
Pharma & medical Some exemptions apply where packaging is required by other Union law, but the documentation duties still land in full. Check scope
Packaging solutions

When the answer is a different pack.

Formats we manufacture and source, listed against the requirements they address. Not a catalogue — each one is quoted against your specification, artwork and volumes.

Unbranded recycled-content polyethylene ecommerce bags with self-seal flap
PCR poly bags
Recycled content30–80% PCR
AddressesArt. 7
EvidenceEN 15343
Unbranded recyclable kraft paper ecommerce mailers
Recyclable paper mailers
FibreKraft, PFAS-free
AddressesArt. 5 · 6 · 24
EvidenceFluorine report
Unbranded mono-material polyethylene flexible pouches
Mono-material pouches
StructurePE / PE barrier
AddressesArt. 6
EvidenceDfR assessment
Right-sized corrugated transport box with fitted insert and minimal empty space
Right-sized transport packaging
Empty space≤50% by design
AddressesArt. 10 · 24 · 29
EvidenceVolume calc
Check a specificationTools Prove it in a labTesting
Next step

Send one specification.

You get back the requirements that apply, the dates they apply from, the evidence you will need — and, if the pack cannot get there, the formats that can.

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