Recital 28

(28) Packaging that is designed with the objective of its recycling, once it becomes packaging waste, is one of the most efficient ways to improve packaging circularity and raise packaging recycling rates and the use of recycled content in packaging. Industry, through voluntary industry schemes, and some Member States have established packaging design for recycling criteria for a number of packaging formats for the purpose of the modulation of extended producer responsibility fees. In order to prevent barriers on the internal market and to provide industry with a level playing field, and with the objective to promote the sustainability of packaging, it is important to set mandatory requirements regarding the recyclability of packaging by harmonising the criteria and the methodology for assessing packaging recyclability based on a design for recycling methodology at Union level. In order to meet the objective set out in the CEAP that, by 2030, all packaging should be recyclable in an economically viable manner, recyclable packaging should be designed for material recycling and, when it becomes waste, be capable of being collected separately, sorted into specific waste streams without affecting the recyclability of other waste streams and recycled at scale. Packaging recyclability should be expressed in recyclability performance grades established on the basis of design for recycling criteria from 2030 and on the basis of both design for recycling and recycled-at-scale criteria from 2035 for packaging categories as listed in Annex II and expressed in grades A, B or C. Packaging of those grades should be considered to be recyclable and, consequently, be allowed to be placed on the market. Packaging below grade C should be considered to be technically non-recyclable and the placing on the market of such packaging should be restricted. However, packaging should comply with those criteria only from 1 January 2030 in order to give sufficient time to the economic operators to adapt. From 1 January 2038, packaging should be at least grade B in order to be placed on the market.

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Source: EUR-Lex CELLAR · retrieved 2026-08-26 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.