Packaging Design Requirements

All packaging placed on the UK market must meet essential requirements covering minimum weight, recyclability, and hazardous substance limits. These requirements aim to reduce environmental impact while ensuring packaging serves its purpose.

Essential requirements

• Minimum weight: Use only the packaging volume and weight necessary
• Recovery: Design for reuse, recycling, or energy recovery
• Hazardous substances: Minimize harmful content
• Heavy metals: 100 ppm maximum for lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium

On-pack labelling

While OPRL labelling is voluntary, consumer protection law requires recyclability claims to be accurate. Claims should reflect what 75%+ of UK local authorities can actually recycle.

Food contact materials

Materials intended to contact food must be safe and not transfer harmful substances. The Food Standards Agency enforces these requirements under the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012.

General requirements:

• Materials must not transfer constituents in harmful quantities
• Must not change food composition, taste, or odour unacceptably
• Declaration of Compliance required at each supply chain stage
• Full traceability through supply chain

Plastics-specific rules: Plastic food contact materials have specific migration limits (10mg/dm² overall) and a positive list of authorised substances. New formulations require migration testing using appropriate food simulants.