Which environmental labels should be printed on the packaging?

From 26/09/2020 it is mandatory to add environmental labels on your packaging: that is some information that identifies the type of material from which the packaging is made but from January 1, 2022 it will be compulsory to indicate the separate collection for which the packaging is intended.

Why is there this new legislation? The sustainability of packaging - as we have often told you on our blog - represents an increasingly important value for consumers: consumers are increasingly choosing products also by evaluating the environmental impact of the packaging. Therefore, the demand for information on environmental sustainability from consumers has been growing for some time, especially when it comes to packaging.

The environmental labelling requirement arises from this context, even if for decades many companies have applied it voluntarily. As often happens, understanding the rules is not easy at all, so today we offer you a small guide to understand something more.

So we recommend not to forget the environmental label when designing the packaging of your products: it takes very little to download and legibly apply the symbol that identifies the material!

Some preliminary information: our sources. 

As you can imagine, this post is not a complete guide, nor an official document. It is rather a summary dedicated in particular to the flexible packaging produced by Packstyle and provides a series of references to more authoritative sources. In particular, we relied on the guidelines published by CONAI, the national packaging consortium, which also offers a useful online tool for environmental labelling: e-tichetta!

What packaging needs an environmental label?

The packaging that require label:

• All packaging intended for consumption in Italy.

The packaging that doesn’t require label:

• The packaging of drugs and medicine;
• Packages intended for marketing in other countries of the European Union or for export to third countries.

What information should be printed on the packaging?

Below you will find the information that must be added to the package:

• The code identifying the material is mandatory for all packs. It is a series of numbers and letters that identify the material, in addition to the triangle with the three arrows called the Mobius cycle.
• Collection information is mandatory for packaging intended for the final consumer (B2C), but not for B2B packaging. This is an indication of where the package should be placed once it has been used and has become waste.

All the other information - such as, for example, the type of packaging or more precise indications on the disposition of separate waste collection - are recommended, but optional.

Which graphics should be used for environmental labeling?

In the graphics area, there are no particular obligations.

However, it is obvious that labels should be added as clear as possible to the consumer and above all legible. Here, then, are the indications of the CONAI guidelines in this regard:

• the characters should higher than or equal to 1.2mm;
• If you want to make the indication on waste collection visually clearer, you can use the reference colors: blue for paper, brown for the organic, yellow for plastic, turquoise for metals, green for glass, gray for the undifferentiated.

[The use of colors is entirely voluntary and we recommend that you act according to the graphic harmony of the packaging]

Which labels to use for Packstyle flexible packaging?

In summary: which labels should we put on Packstyle packaging?

You don't have to do much: on the Packstyle website by downloading the template, once you have configured the product and then chosen the material and finish, you will also find the correct symbol to place in the graphics!

We suggest you to always start from the template and not from old graphics, because the symbols can be updated over time as a result of regulatory additions or changes to the materials.

Please note: as you well know, laws and regulations vary over time. We therefore suggest you to always check the date of this article and find help from professionals to understand if the information is still up to date and complies with current regulations.