EU compliance

EU Packaging Compliance for Imported Bags

Packaging rules are being harmonised across Europe and extended to reusable bags. Here is what the obligations ask for, and the documentation we hand you to support your registration and reporting.

PPWR

What the Packaging Regulation Changes

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation replaced much of the previous patchwork of national rules with one framework. It applies from 2026, with further requirements phasing in to 2030.

The obligations land on the producer: the business that places the bag on the EU market. That is normally you, the brand or importer, not the factory. What you need from a supplier is therefore data, not a certificate.

Recyclability requirements for packaging placed on the market
Minimum recycled content thresholds for plastic packaging
Harmonised labelling and material marking
Reuse and refill targets that cover reusable carrier bags
Mandatory EPR registration in every member state you sell into

Ask for the Data Pack

Bag material samples prepared for EU compliance assessment

EPR by country

Where You Have to Register

Extended producer responsibility is still administered nationally. These are the registration routes that matter most to bag programmes.

Germany — registration in the LUCID packaging register, then licensing through a dual system under the VerpackG.
France — EPR under the AGEC law, via an approved scheme, plus the Triman sorting mark on consumer-facing packaging.
Netherlands — packaging fee and reporting through the Afvalfonds Verpakkingen.
Poland — entry in the BDO register before packaging is placed on the market.
Czechia — compliance and reporting through the EKO-KOM scheme.
Romania — national EPR obligations for packaging placed on the market.

Our part

The Compliance Data We Supply

Registration and reporting are yours to file. The figures they are built on come from us.

Per-SKU material breakdown covering fabric, lining, webbing, thread, hardware and printed decoration.
Unit and packaging weights separated into the product and the packaging that carries it.
Recyclability input such as mono-material construction options and removable trim.
Recycled content evidence with GRS transaction certificates where recycled fibre is specified.
REACH SVHC statements and OEKO-TEX test reports for the materials in your bill.
Artwork support if you need the Triman mark, material codes or sorting text built into the print layout.

Restricted substances

REACH, PFAS and Food Contact

Substance rules bite earlier than packaging rules, because they apply to the material itself.

REACH SVHC screening of fabric, webbing, lining and trim
PFAS-free water-repellent finishes as the default option
Food-contact compliant linings for coolers and grocery programmes on request
Nickel-safe and lead-free hardware
Phthalate and heavy-metal testing to the limits your market applies

See Certifications

Material compliance testing at the Verlora bag factory

This page is written to help you ask the right questions of a supplier. Registration schemes, thresholds and deadlines change, and they differ by member state. Please confirm your own obligations with the relevant national scheme or a compliance adviser before you place a product on the market.

Common questions

Compliance Questions We Get Asked

In most member states, reusable bags placed on the market are treated as packaging or as a single-use plastic item with its own obligations, so producer responsibility applies. Because the scope differs by country, check the national scheme for the markets you sell into.

Yes. If you supply the artwork or confirm the sorting instructions that apply to your bag, we will place the mark in the print layout and include it in the proof you approve before bulk production.

We supply material composition, weights and recycled-content evidence, which is what a recyclability assessment is built on. The formal assessment for a specific national scheme is normally issued by your compliance provider.

Recycled content is available in rPET fabrics, recycled PP non-woven and recycled cotton blends, with GRS transaction certificates where certified material is used. We will tell you what percentage is achievable at your target price.

Documentation

Get Your Compliance Data Pack

Tell us the markets you sell into and we will compile the material, weight and testing documentation those schemes ask for.

Request the Data Pack