BIS has released new guidance notes, to help companies comply with the legislation.
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has released new guidance notes, addressed to those affected by the Packaging Essential Requirements, aimed at helping these companies Comply with the legislation.
The Packaging Essential Requirements affect all companies who place packaged goods onto the market. The regulations place the obligation on these companies to ensure that all packaging they pack/fill products into, sell or import into the UK, meets the essential requirements and is within the heavy metal concentration limits.
In order to comply with the Essential Requirements, a business must;
- Minimise packaging weight and volume (subject to safety, hygiene and consumer acceptance,)
- Make sure packaging can be recovered, or produce packaging that is reusable,
- Make sure packaging has minimal environmental impact after it is disposed of,
- Make sure packaging is manufactured to contain minimal levels of hazardous substances,
- Ensure that the maximum levels of certain metals (cadmium, mercury, lead and hexavalent chromium, or any combination of these) does not exceed 100 parts per million by weight.
There is also specific criteria that must be met if packaging is classed as reusable or recoverable.
The government guidance is updated on a regular basis and the latest is the October 2013 edition.
The full guidance document can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244694/13-1155-packaging-regulations-government-guidance.pdf
If you need any advice, or if you are unsure about whether your company is compliant with the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, please contact one of the ecosurety Compliance Team on 0845 094 2228.
Robbie Staniforth
Innovation and policy director
Robbie is innovation and policy director at Ecosurety. Having spent years building an intimate understanding of the industry’s policies and politics, he uses this knowledge to help shape new legislation and oversees Ecosurety’s growing portfolio of cross-industry innovation projects including Podback and the Flexible Plastic Fund. He has worked closely with Defra during the most recent packaging consultations, outlining the impacts and required transitional arrangements of the UK’s new EPR system and is a member of the government’s Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP). He is also a spokesperson for the company and regularly uses his influence to communicate the importance of environmental responsibility to external stakeholders.
Useful links
On 22 November, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of a position paper concerning EU-wide rules aiming to increase the reuse and recycling of packaging.
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