On the 20th September 2020, the Italian government issued a new law governing the labelling of packaging on all imports and that are used in the domestic market.
The regulation, which comes into force on the 1st January 2023, makes environmental labelling of packaging mandatory and comes in addition to the requirements in the European Union to comply with the Classification of Labelling & Packaging regulation.
The aim of the regulation is to provide a level of environmental protection by reducing the impact of packaging and packaging waste.
To comply with the regulation, packaging must follow the EU Commission Decision 97/129/EC requiring the use of an alphanumeric code denoting the constituent material of the packaging. Secondly, packaging intended for consumers should contain specific reference to how the packaging should be disposed of, written in Italian.
In addition, there is a recommendation on the labelling of multi-component packaging. The Italian packaging law recommends helping the end user separate and dispose of individual parts. Whether this is achieved by using a graphic or a short text is optional. In this case, too, the text must be written in Italian.
Packaging that is incorrectly labelled could result in fines of 5,200 – 40,000€. This obligation is directed not only at manufacturers but also at traders and distributors. Fillers, users of packaging and importers of filled packaging are also to be held responsible through the regulation.
More information can be found on the website of the Italian Consortium of Packaging Materials or CONAI.
