Packaging & packaging waste

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, EU (94/62/EC) of December 1994 as amended by 2004/12/EC and 2005/20/EC sets forth measures and deadlines across EU Member States (as well as third countries) which aim to reduce packaging waste and target the impact of packaging waste disposal on health and the environment. The measures outlined in the Directive are intended to:

1. prevent the production of packaging waste and
2. encourage reuse and recycling, and other forms of packaging waste recovery to finally reduce the volume of packaging waste disposal.

All packaging placed on the EU market and all packaging waste, whether it is used by or released at the industrial, commercial, office, shop, service, household, or other location levels, is covered by the Packaging Directive.

Material markings

The Packaging Directive promotes the recycling of packaging material waste and requires packaging to be marked with an appropriate category for recycling. Markings must be clearly visible and easily legible on the packaging itself or on the packaging label.

Heavy metals

The Packaging Directive limits the total concentration of four heavy metals:

• Lead (0.1%)
• Mercury (0.1%)
• Cadmium (0.1%)
• Hexavalent chromium (0.1%)

To comply with the Directive, all packaging and packing materials, whether prefabricated or manufactured or fabricated following a UNICOM Engineering mechanical drawing, must contain no more than the maximum concentration values shown, tolerated by weight in homogeneous materials. The sum of concentration of lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium present in packaging or packaging components shall NOT exceed 100 ppm by weight.

Supplier declarations

Although packaging and packing materials might be manufactured according to a UNICOM Engineering mechanical drawing, certificates of compliance by the Supplier are still required to cover the constituency of the materials used in the manufacturing process or fabrication of the product.

Any deliverable (packaging and packing materials; tape or foam), whether prefabricated or produced following a UNICOM Engineering mechanical drawing, shall meet the expectations of the UNICOM Engineering Environmental Specification (502-1063-00). Product packaging test reports must be available from the manufacturer and must be auditable upon request of UNICOM Engineering.

Suppliers agree to declare packaging for their product to UNICOM Engineering in one of the acceptable formats outlined below.

Packaging directive reporting formats (choose one)

1. Manufacturer Certificate of Compliance Certificates originating with the OEM are acceptable if they are available in the reader’s language and include:

• Manufacturer’s name
• Manufacturer contact information
• Contact Email address
• Reference to the Packaging Directive
• Assertion that the product complies to UNICOM Engineering Environmental Specification (502-1063-00), or to the named Packaging Directive
• Statement attesting the combined weight of packaging and packing components contains less than 100 ppm by weight (≤ 0.1% w/w) of lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium
• List of material components of the packaging and weight of materials in grams
• Date of Declaration
• Certifier Name or legally binding signature on behalf of the organization.

2. UNICOM Engineering Packaging Declaration

Download and complete the Packaging Declaration template (496-0107-00) provided by UNICOM Engineering.

Submitting certificates of compliance

Suppliers agree to only provide packaging and packing materials in conformance to UNICOM Engineering Environmental Specification (502-1063-00), and to provide certificates declaring compliance to the Packaging Directive:

a) At the request of Mechanical Engineering or the Compliance Specialist at UNICOM Engineering;

b) If requested by UNICOM Engineering at the time of order placement;

c) Upon initial delivery of a part to UNICOM Engineering per purchase order (PO);

d) At the time a replacement or revised product is supplied to UNICOM engineering for an existing PO;

e) Periodically upon request.

Certificates declaring conformance to the Packaging Directive are returned upon request to the Compliance Manager, Compliance Specialist, or Mechanical Engineer at UNICOM Engineering, or to regulatory.compliance@unicomengineering.com.

Additional resources

To learn more about the European Commission Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/63/EC and its amendments, visit https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/packaging/index_en.htm.

Questions?

Contact the UNICOM Engineering Environmental Compliance Specialist at 972-673-1373.