July 2021 for CE certified products, sales platforms mandatory requirement for European information and product Doc compliance statement, sales to Europe above the package / manual, in addition to printing CE labels, but also need to print an additional European information label.
From January 2022, the German and French EPR regulations will come into force, requiring goods destined for Germany and France to comply with the EPR regulations and to pay the corresponding EPR payments to the Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) of the respective product categories. Goods destined for the German and French markets will be required to bear a recycling symbol on their packaging. Regarding the recycling logo, you may have read many articles about the German recycling logo and the French Triman logo.
Maybe you think you're close to being compliant by printing this on your plastic bags.
Here is an introduction to the EU packaging recycling symbol and how to use it: (the following is a translation of a summary by Andreas Landes, co-founder of ecosistant)
1. Universal Recycling Logo
The recycling symbol with three arrows arranged in a triangle is particularly common on packaging made from waste paper. In general, the symbol simply indicates that the packaging material is recyclable. It can be printed voluntarily by the manufacturer and is also very suitable for international transportation as it is not subject to any licensing restrictions. Since it is well known and customers associate it with recycling, placing the symbol on shipping packaging can help you position your store as sustainable.
2. FCS Certificate
The FCS logo is an indication that the packaging material is not only positioned as sustainable for its own goods, but also that the company is actively committed to environmental protection by using certified packaging.The FSC logo is one of the most famous paper certificates, which usually appears on packaging where the goods are paper products. Among other things, it guarantees the protection of specific forests, endangered animal species, soil and water, and forestry. The certificate does not cause problems when the product is printed on the packaging for transportation abroad, because it is valid internationally.
3. French Triman Logo
In France, there is a special recycling symbol, the "Triman" symbol. It is designed to inform French end-users about what can and cannot be recycled. For this reason, non-French retailers who ship to France via online stores must also place the Triman logo on packaging and certain products (in particular textiles and shoes, furniture, tires and printed matter).
The logo is license free and therefore free to use. If it is placed next to other recycling symbols, it must be shown at least as large, i.e. 6mm-10mm.
If it is not possible to apply the symbol to products or packaging, online retailers must at least provide information about recyclability on their websites. It is sufficient to place the Triman logo on the product page or create a sub-page in the online store and inform customers about recycling - using the logo, preferably also in French.
The annotation may be as follows, for example:
Nos produits et emballages se recyclent, ne les jetez pas!
Trouvez or les déposer sur le site www.quefairedemesdechets.fr
However, symbols and annotations are not enough. Online retailers must also license their packaging through the French system of ecological recycling organizations - that is, they need to register an EPR number.
4. Green Dot
One of the best known and most commonly used recycling symbols on packaging is the green dot. Although it does not state recyclability, it is proof that the manufacturer or distributor is making an economic contribution to recycling. Because of its high visibility, it is ideal as an advertising medium to position your own brand as sustainable.
But be careful when transporting internationally: Since Green Dot's license in Germany is only valid for use in that country/region, a separate license must be purchased for each country/region. This can lead to high additional costs and administrative work, especially if the volume of foreign shipments is small. Similar obligations in the German Packaging Act also apply to other EU member states, but in many countries there are exemptions for small traders.
When using Green Dot, the following applies: Starting with the first package, a license must be provided in each country/region, i.e., there is a registration, declaration, and payment of a recycling fee.
5. Food Contact Safety Test
Products or utensils that come into direct contact with food are often labeled with a food contact safety test symbol. For example, paper cups, cut fruit kitchen utensils, cutlery, etc. At present, some of our sellers selling kitchen utensils on Amazon have been complained by competitors about the lack of the food contact safety test mark on the packaging and were removed from the shelves.
6. Recycling Codes
The recycling code provides information about the packaging material. For consumers, the code is commonly used for plastic tableware or food packaging materials as well as for waste sorting. The recycling code can be used to check whether a package can be heated, for example, without releasing substances that are harmful to health.
Some signs that are colored are not allowed to be changed to a color other than black, but in practice many manufacturers are able to print them in black and white for use.
Then purely packaging printing, if the seller's packaging material is plastic, in the plastic packaging bag above, if the printing (1) generic recycling logo, in fact, is not quite compliant, the correct should be based on the material and use, recycling code. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at Green Circle and our partners at Eurofins IP for consultation and communication.
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