Packaging Compliance

Packaging Compliance

Packaging regulations by market. EPR registration, waste directives, recycling symbols, plastic taxes, and SUP restrictions.

MCP Tools

# Search for packaging regulation signals
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="packaging waste", limit=25)
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="EPR registration", limit=25)
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="single-use plastics", limit=25)
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="PPWR", limit=25)

# Get regulation details for packaging directives
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__get_regulation(id="<regulation-id>")
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__list_regulations(limit=100)

# Check landed cost impact of packaging taxes
mcp__claude_ai_CLEO_LEGAL_API__customs/landed-cost
  hs_code: "<product-hs-code>"
  origin: "<origin>"
  destination: "<destination>"
  product_value: <value>

EPR Registration Decision Tree

digraph {
  rankdir=TB; node [shape=box style=rounded fontsize=10];
  sell [label="Selling packaged products\nin this market?" shape=diamond];
  no [label="No EPR obligation"];
  threshold [label="Check de minimis\nthreshold" shape=diamond];
  register [label="Register with national\nEPR scheme"];
  declare [label="Declare packaging\nvolumes annually"];
  pay [label="Pay eco-contribution\nper material per kg"];
  report [label="Annual reporting\n+ audit (if above threshold)"];
  symbols [label="Apply required\nrecycling symbols"];

  sell -> no [label="NO"];
  sell -> threshold [label="YES"];
  threshold -> register [label="above threshold\nor no threshold"];
  threshold -> no [label="below (rare)"];
  register -> declare -> pay -> report -> symbols;
}

EPR by EU Member State

Remote sellers rule (EU): If you sell online from outside a member state directly to consumers in that state, YOU are the producer responsible for EPR. Amazon and marketplaces enforce this -- they block listings without EPR registration numbers.

PPWD to PPWR Transition

Required Symbols by Market

France Triman + Info-Tri (Mandatory Since Jan 2022)

The Triman logo + sorting instructions must appear on ALL packaging sold in France:

• On-pack: Triman + text or pictogram indicating correct bin
• Size minimum: 6mm height for Triman
• CITEO provides free pictogram generator: citeo.com/info-tri
• Non-compliance fine: EUR 15,000 per product reference

Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive 2019/904

Plastic Tax

UK Plastic Packaging Tax: Applies to ALL plastic packaging with < 30% recycled content. Exemptions: < 10 tonnes/year, medical packaging, transit packaging. Registration required via HMRC.

US Packaging Laws

The US has no federal packaging law -- it is a growing state patchwork. Track each state where you ship: registration deadlines and fee structures differ, and more states pass EPR each session.

Wood Packaging -- ISPM 15 (Phytosanitary)

Solid-wood packaging used in international shipments -- pallets, crates, dunnage, bracing, spools -- must be heat-treated (HT, core 56 degC for 30 min) or fumigated, then stamped with the IPPC/ISPM 15 mark (wheat symbol + ISO country code + producer code + treatment code). Required on import by virtually all markets (EU, US, China, Australia, Canada, India...). Non-compliant wood means the entire shipment can be refused, treated, or destroyed at the border at the importer's cost. Processed wood (plywood, OSB, particleboard) and pieces 6mm thick or less are exempt.

Industrial vs Household Packaging

EPR is not only household packaging. Most schemes run a separate B2B / industrial & commercial stream for transport and secondary/tertiary packaging exchanged between businesses:

• France: distinct commercial/industrial packaging flow alongside the household stream.
• Belgium: VAL-I-PAC (commercial/industrial) vs Fost Plus (household).
• Germany: VerpackG (the law behind LUCID/ZSVR) covers both; system vs. transport packaging obligations differ.

A product such as a server, UPS, or appliance shipped to a business often falls under the industrial stream, not the household PRO -- mapping it to the wrong stream means registering with the wrong scheme.

India -- Plastic Packaging EPR

The Plastic Waste Management Rules 2022 introduce mandatory EPR for plastic packaging: producers, importers, and brand-owners register on the CPCB EPR portal, meet category-wise recycling and recycled-content targets, and file annual returns. Applies to imported products placed on the Indian market with plastic packaging.

Asia-Pacific Packaging Rules

South Korea -- Over-Packaging (Space Ratio + Layers)

Korea actively enforces over-packaging limits under the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources and its packaging-method standards:

• Packaging space ratio (empty space inside the box) is capped per product category -- gift sets (cosmetics, perfume, food assortments) face some of the strictest caps. A big decorative gift-set box with mostly empty space fails inspection.
• Number of packaging layers is also limited (often to a small number of layers).
• ⚠️ The exact percentage and layer count depend on the product category and have been tightening -- verify the current category threshold before designing a Korean gift set, do not assume a fixed figure.
• Separate EPR for packaging runs via KECO/producer recycling obligations. Non-compliance: inspection failure, fines, and rework -- a recurring blocker for luxury coffrets entering Korea.

Australia & New Zealand -- APCO / Product Stewardship

These are not yet hard bans, but the direction is set -- design packaging now as if APCO obligations and recyclability labelling were mandatory.

Packaging Composition Declaration Template

PACKAGING DECLARATION -- [Product Name] -- [Date]

PRIMARY PACKAGING (touches product):
  Material: [e.g., PET, HDPE, glass, aluminium]
  Weight: [g]
  Recycled content: [%]
  Material ID code: [1-7 for plastic, 20-22 paper, 40-41 metal, 70-72 glass]
  Recyclable: [YES/NO in practice]
  Contains SUP component: [YES/NO]

SECONDARY PACKAGING (box, sleeve):
  Material: [e.g., cardboard, kraft paper]
  Weight: [g]
  Recycled content: [%]
  FSC/PEFC certified: [YES/NO]

TERTIARY PACKAGING (shipping):
  Material: [e.g., corrugated cardboard, stretch wrap]
  Weight per unit: [g]

TOTAL PACKAGING WEIGHT PER UNIT: [g]
TOTAL PLASTIC PER UNIT: [g]
RECYCLED CONTENT (plastic): [%]
UK PLASTIC TAX LIABLE: [YES/NO -- < 30% recycled plastic AND > 10 tonnes/year]

Power This With the Cleo Legal API

EPR is fragmented per-country, per-material, per-PRO — exactly what an API normalizes. PPWR/SUP/plastic tax rules also shift constantly.

With the Cleo Legal API at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co:

• GET /v2/search?q=EPR+packaging&country=FR,DE,IT,ES,NL,BE,AT,PL,SE — current scheme, PRO, eco-modulated fees, and deadlines for every EU member state
• GET /v2/search?q=PPWR&type=regulation — track the phased PPWR transition (recyclability 2030, recycled content 35% by 2030, reuse targets) before retailer requirements bite
• GET /v2/search?q=plastic+tax&country=UK,IT,ES — current rates (GBP 217.85/tonne UK, EUR 0.45/kg ES) with effective dates
• POST /v2/webhooks?topic=epr_deadlines — get pinged 30-90 days before each country's annual declaration deadline (LUCID May 15, CITEO Feb 28…)
• GET /v2/authorities/:slug — direct portal URLs for CITEO, LUCID/ZSVR, CONAI, Ecoembes, Afvalfonds, FTI

Get started:

# 1. Sign up for free at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co
# 2. Get your API key (3 lifetime requests free, then €349/mo for 1M)
# 3. Install the MCP server:
claude mcp add cleo-legal-api https://api.legaldata.cleolabs.co/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ld_live_YOUR_KEY"

Tested ROI: Missing the German LUCID May 15 deadline costs up to €200,000 + sales ban. The API's webhook alerting eliminates that risk class entirely.

Common Mistakes

• Registering in your home country only: EPR is per-market. Selling in France, Germany, and Spain = 3 separate EPR registrations with 3 separate annual declarations.
• Forgetting Amazon enforces EPR: Amazon DE, FR, ES, and IT block listings without valid EPR registration numbers. This is the #1 reason small sellers get delisted in EU.
• Missing Triman + Info-tri in France: EUR 15,000 fine per product reference. Every product sold in France needs Triman and sorting instructions on the packaging.
• Claiming "recyclable" without evidence: EU Green Claims Directive and US FTC Green Guides both require proof. Under PPWR, recyclability claims must follow harmonized criteria.
• Ignoring the UK Plastic Packaging Tax: If you import > 10 tonnes/year of plastic packaging into the UK with < 30% recycled content, you owe GBP 217.85/tonne. Register with HMRC within 30 days of exceeding threshold.
• Counting only primary packaging: EPR covers ALL packaging -- primary (bottle), secondary (box), tertiary (shipping carton), and service packaging (bags, tissue paper).