Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
| Applies from | August 12, 2028, or 24 months after the Art. 12(6) or 12(7) implementing acts enter into force, whichever is the latest |
|---|---|
| Binds | Manufacturers, importers, distributors |
| Evidence | Locked read in the EUR-Lex text |
The harmonized material-composition sorting label. Art. 12(1) reads from August 12, 2028 or 24 months from the entry into force of the implementing acts adopted under paragraphs 6 or 7, whichever is the latest, so it turns on implementing acts under two paragraphs, 12(6) and 12(7), and 2028 is a floor rather than a fixed date. The Art. 12 act was statutorily due August 12, 2026 and has not been adopted. Transport packaging and packaging in a deposit return system are outside the obligation, except e-commerce packaging. Art. 12(9) allows packaging in an extended producer responsibility scheme to be identified, by February 12, 2027, only by a symbol in a QR code or other standardized, open, digital-marking technology. Art. 12(8) is the separate misleading-marks restriction. It applies from August 12, 2026 and reaches only the matters for which harmonized labeling has been laid down in this Regulation.
Environmental claims about the packaging properties the Regulation regulates, such as recyclability or recycled content in plastic packaging, are also governed by Article 14.