Carry out the Annex VII conformity assessment, draw up the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity, and keep both for 5 years for single-use and 10 years for reusable packaging.
Manufacturers of packaging must comply, and this is law in force.
Why it matters
This is law in force, not a proposal.
- It is Art. 15(2) and (3), in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. as of 2026-08-18
- The act gives its timing as: From 12 August 2026 (Art. 71). as of 2026-08-18
- It names 5 industries by name: Plastics converting, Paper and board, Glass, Aluminium and Wood. as of 2026-08-18
- Compliance is checked by self-assessment against Annex VII, per packaging type. as of 2026-08-18
What changes
Every packaging manufacturer selling into the EU. This is the single largest new administrative burden in the act: 94/62/EC had a presumption-of-conformity mechanism but no conformity assessment procedure, no technical documentation file and no EU declaration of conformity for packaging.
The rule
before placing packaging on the market
Carry out the Annex VII conformity assessment, draw up the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity, and keep both for 5 years for single-use and 10 years for reusable packaging.
Who is affected
Burden drivers
No size threshold.
Source text
Before placing packaging on the market, manufacturers shall carry out the conformity assessment procedure referred to in Article 38 or have it carried out on their behalf, and shall draw up the technical documentation referred to in Annex VII.
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