The European Union has recently adopted stricter regulations on the management of packaging materials.
It not only requires the establishment of a recycling system and encourages the reuse of packaging materials,
At the same time, it is hoped that the use of heavy metals in packaging materials will be completely prohibited by 2010;
New regulations are about to be formulated, and industry players must be aware of them.
The European Union announced the Directive of Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC, referred to as PPWD) in 1994, which covers all packaging of any material listed in the EU for industry, commerce, service industry, and household use. The directive Member states are required to establish a collection system and encourage producers to improve the reuse, recycling and recovery of packaging. The purpose of the directive is to coordinate the management of packaging materials across EU countries and reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment. In February 2004, in the European Union's resolution 2004/12/EC, stricter standards were formulated for the management of packaging materials and packaging waste. It is also hoped that the use of heavy metals in packaging materials will be completely prohibited by 2010. It is expected that by the end of 2004, relevant standards for packaging materials will be promulgated.
1. Introduction to packaging instructionsThe Packaging Materials and Packaging Material Waste Directive requires member states to take three steps: 1. Reduce the impact on the environment by reducing the amount and harmful substances of packaging waste; 2. Recycle and regenerate packaging by setting quantitative targets Material waste 3. Relevant data need to be collected to monitor the impact of PPWD. Article 9 of the Directive is the core of the entire bill, which stipulates that all packaging materials circulating on the EU market should comply with the "Necessary Requirements of Appendix II". It includes reduction prevention, that is, the volume and weight of packaging materials need to be minimized in line with the safety and hygiene needs of products and customers; hazardous substance minimization, that is, harmful substances in packaging materials need to be minimized to avoid subsequent Environmental pollution during disposal or incineration; reuse, recycling and regeneration, that is, packaging materials should be designed to be reused, recycled, and regenerated to reduce the consumption of environmental resources. Article 10 of the Directive stipulates that in order to assist member states and companies that place packaging on the market to confirm that these packaging materials can meet the necessary requirements, CEN should develop unified standards. If the packaging can meet these standards, it can be assumed that these packaging materials meet the necessary requirements. In September 2000, CEN published 6 draft standards (EN13427 to EN13432). However, some member states have disputes over the content of the standard. Therefore, only two standards, EN13428 and EN13432, have been adopted and announced by the EU. In response to the opinions of member states, CEN made the second revision of the standards in 2002. However, as of 2004, the EU was still in the review stage and had not yet approved these standards (relevant information is shown in [Table 1]). For packaging materials that comply with EN13428, it can be assumed that the packaging meets the necessary requirement of "prevention of volume reduction". This standard also provides guidelines for the handling of hazardous substances and heavy metals in packaging. In fact, this standard emphasizes that when manufacturers manufacture packaging materials, they should minimize the volume and weight of packaging materials without violating the safety and hygiene requirements for product transportation and customer acceptability. Complying with the requirement of "reduction and prevention" is not to reduce the safety and functionality of packaging, but to rationalize the use of packaging materials while providing the necessary functions of packaging. Complying with EN13432 means that the packaging can meet the requirements of biodegradability. Generally speaking, these CEN standards provide practical guidance to help producers establish management systems to comply with the necessary requirements of the directive. CEN stated that the purpose of using these standards is to provide continuous environmental improvements without compromising the functional performance of packaging. When these standards are developed, they can help users identify appropriate assessment procedures, use checklists to confirm that procedures have been performed, summarize results, and maintain relevant records.
2. Restrictions on heavy metalsThe total concentration of lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium heavy metals in packaging materials stipulated in Article 11 of the directive dropped from 400 ppm in 1998 to 100 ppm in 2001. However, there are exclusions, such as lead content in quartz glass and plastic pallets or pallets made from recycled materials. In 2004/12/EC, it is hoped that the content of heavy metals can be further reduced, and if possible, these heavy metals will be completely banned by 2010. In the EU, when putting packaging materials on the market, special attention must be paid to the recognition regulations of heavy metal compliance in each member state. Taking France as an example, the law is more stringent than the directive and requires companies to have special technical information, including a description of the packaging materials, ingredients, and test results proving that heavy metals meet the concentration limits. In addition, a paper statement is required to prove that the packaging material meets the necessary requirements, as well as technical information containing specific parameters for the design and production of the packaging material.
3. Recycling and regeneration of packaging material wasteAccording to Article 6 of the Directive, member states need to complete the regeneration and recycling goals of packaging material waste before June 30, 2001, including a recycling rate of 50 to 65% (weight ratio); a recycling rate of 25 to 45%; The recycling rate of each material in a package should be at least 15% by weight. In 2004/12/EC, member states are required to achieve new goals before December 31, 2008, including a minimum regeneration rate of 60% and a recycling rate of 55 to 80%; the minimum recycling rate of each material is divided into glass and paper. , cardboard 60%, metal 50%, wood 15%, plastic 22.5% (only for recycled plastic materials). But this does not target the packaging used in every product, but requires member states to take effective actions to achieve these goals. For example, the “Green Dot” program in Germany encourages manufacturers to join this mechanism to manage these packaging materials.
4. Packaging material conformity assessment procedure and labeling identification systemAccording to Article 8 of the Directive, the EU should develop a method for packaging material labeling systems and conformity assessment procedures. It is mentioned in the draft that manufacturers of packaging materials should keep specific technical information for review by competent authorities. The information includes product descriptions, design concepts and manufacturing drawings, applicable standards, and calculation or test results proving that they meet necessary requirements. After the proposal was announced on December 18, 1996, it has been in the discussion stage due to its wide scope and lack of actual implementation capabilities, and the timetable for approval and adoption has not yet been determined. However, the EU adopted the proposal of 97/129/EC and established an identification system for packaging materials. Contains abbreviations, short codes and material classification labels for packaging materials. While the system is currently voluntary, the EU hopes to make it mandatory in the future.
5. Comply with the Packaging Materials Directive and is expected to be distributed in the European market In the amendment 2004/12/EC to 94/62/EC on February 11, 2004, the following amendments were mainly made: improving the recycling and regeneration targets, setting minimum recycling targets for each packaging material material, and targeting The definition of packaging will be clarified, efforts will be made to reduce the content of harmful substances and, if possible, it will be completely banned by 2010. Member States have until 18 August 2005 to transpose these amendments into national law. The purpose of the Packaging Materials Directive is not to prove through testing that packaging materials or packaging meet the necessary requirements. On the contrary, it mainly hopes that member states will implement management systems to ensure that the necessary requirements for packaging materials can be met. If a company's packaging can meet packaging material standards, it means that the packaging can meet the three necessary requirements, and it can also ensure that the packaging can be circulated in the market throughout Europe. However, in terms of declaration of conformity for heavy metals, individual country regulations still have to be followed. Reprinted from Internet resources
