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Packaging regulations
The packaging regulation in Spain, Royal Decree 1055/2022 on Packaging and Packaging Waste, affects companies that put packaging on the Spanish market regardless of its origin, where its waste is generated, or the material from which it is made. These companies are subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy that requires companies to pay for and manage the waste they generate. It is intended to encourage producers to take environmental considerations into account when designing and manufacturing their products.
In Spain, EPR applies to various types of waste, such as electronic devices, medicines and textiles. As concerns packaging, EPR has been applied to household packaging for more than 25 years, and to commercial and industrial packaging starting in 2025.
According to Royal Decree 1055/2022 on Packaging and Packaging Waste, EPR affects you if you put packaging, be it household, commercial or industrial, on the Spanish market.
Specifically, if your company:
- Markets packaged products under its own brand or a private label
- Packages or manufactures products that are likely to reach end consumers
- Imports or acquires packaged products in the European Union
- Is a business and supplies a product together with bags, wrappers, etc.
- Markets a packaged product online and/or with packaging for shipping.
Household packaging is intended for consumption by individuals. The waste is generated by the citizens. For example, a bottle of lemonade.
Commercial packaging is intended for commercial activity (it never reaches the public). It is the business that generates the waste. For example, the box in which lemonade bottles are transported to a supermarket.
Industrial packaging is intended for industrial activity (it never reaches the public). It is the industry that generates the waste. For example, the boxes of lemons that will be used to create the lemonade.
Royal Decree 1055/2022 establishes various obligations for companies. In addition to financing and organizing the proper management of their packaging waste, companies have other responsibilities regarding data reporting, marking on packaging, the incorporation of recycled material into packaging, the placing on the market of reusable packaging, etc.
Ecoembes provides a brief summary of your company’s obligations, and offers services to help you understand and apply this regulation.
According to the packaging regulation, your company must include certain information on the packaging it puts on the market. At Ecoembes, we can help you determine what you may and must include, in addition to what is not allowed.
The PRO and how it works
A Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) is a tool for packaging producers to group together their obligations regarding Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Mainly, to finance in whole or in part the separate collection of waste to meet the separate collection and recycling targets established by law.
As before, Ecoembes makes it easier for you to comply with all the obligations associated with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for household packaging, and, from 2025, for commercial and industrial packaging too. This makes everything easier for you. In addition, as an Ecoembes customer, we offer the widest range of services for the circularity of your packaging.
In the case of household packaging, we have been working closely with the government agencies tasked with waste management operations for more than 25 years. We currently have an agreement with more than 8,000 municipalities in Spain.
In the case of commercial packaging, our management is based on agreements with private managers in charge of this activity, in addition to agreements with government agencies for that packaging that makes it into bins on the street.
And in the case of industrial packaging, we want to make it easy for you so you only have to deal with one party, so we offer the service through agreements with PROs for industrial packaging.
There are currently over 19,000 companies that are part of Ecoembes, many of which participate in the governance of Ecoembes, both through advice and decision-making. Find out more about our governance here.
Eco-modulation is a change in how much a company contributes financially to the PRO it is in based on the environmental impact of its packaging throughout its life cycle. Royal Decree 1055/2022 on Packaging and Packaging Waste establishes new guidelines for eco-modulation, which at Ecoembes are applied to plastic packaging and cardboard using a system of discounts and penalties based on objective technical criteria.
Joining Ecoembes
In the case of commercial and industrial packaging, you have all 2024, since your company becomes responsible for this packaging starting on 1 January 2025.
In the case of household packaging, the obligation has been in effect for over 25 years, so you have to join as soon as possible if you have not already done so.
It’s very easy! You can join Ecoembes for free by completing our membership forms. After that, we’ll send you the contract so you can sign it.
Yes, if you want to meet your EPR with us. Every packaging type has its own system.
That is, if your company already lets Ecoembes handle the EPR for your household packaging, and you want us to handle your commercial or industrial packaging as well, you have to fill out the following form, and we will then send you the contract.
Joining Ecoembes is free. You will only have to pay the annual contribution based on the packaging you put on the market each year.
Services for customers
Absolutely! Ecoembes has a support service for MITERD’s Register of Product Producers. We can help you both to collect the information required and to do the paperwork for you.
Yes! At Ecoembes, we have been helping companies since 1999 through our industry Prevention and Eco-design Business Plan. You can get all the details about this service here. And don’t forget to submit your measures by March 10 of each year!
At Ecoembes, we offer a wide range of services to help you improve the eco-design of your packaging, reduce its environmental impact, and achieve total circularity.
Customer support
You can access the private area of Ecoembes through this link. There, you will find details about our services, the annual packaging declaration, invoicing, and more.
The Packaging Data Platform is used to declare the packaging placed on the market in the previous year. It’s a powerful tool that helps you not only to make this report, but also to keep track of your data and access reports.
The Ecoembes customer area has detailed instructions on how to complete this declaration.
To make sure you don’t miss any deadlines, write these in your calendar:
- Deadline for submitting the annual packaging declaration to Ecoembes: before February 28 of each year. Except for newly joined companies, which have one month from receipt of their signed contract. If the declaration is not submitted on time, the company will be excluded from the annual report that Ecoembes sends on 31 March to the regional governments on the companies that have submitted their reports.
- Deadline for submitting the measures of the Prevention and Eco-design Business Plan: before 10 March of each year.
- Deadline for submitting the Agreed Procedures Report (IPA): before 31 May of each year.
Packaging that is exported is not declared to Ecoembes, but in the country of destination, as per its laws. You can find the main European PROs in Expra.
If you are a foreign company that puts packaged products on the Spanish market, directly or through distance selling, you must have an authorized representative in Spain. Through this representative, you must be enrolled in the Register of Product Producers of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITERD). In addition, you must be in a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), like the one offered by Ecoembes.