On 27 December, 2022, Spain issued the Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste intended to further the development of a circular economy for packaging.

Following this Royal Decree, the Spanish Subdirectorate General for Circular Economy does not require the mandatory use of the Green Dot (el punto verde) symbol on packaging. However, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes may still request the use of markings on packaging to denote EPR membership.

The main purpose of this Royal Decree is to make all packaging on the market recyclable by 2030 and, where possible, reusable. Companies should design packaging and manage waste disposal in order to reduce its environmental impact.

Royal Decree 1055/2022 will apply as of January 1, 2025, and introduces several new requirements on packaging:

• Packaging is considered to meet the basic requirements when it complies with the following standards:
  • UNE-EN 13427:2005 “Packaging – Requirements for the use of European standards in the field of packaging and packaging waste”;
  • UNE-EN 13428:2005 “Packaging – Requirements specific to manufacturing and composition – prevention by source reduction”;
  • UNE-EN 13429:2005 “Packaging – Reuse”;
  • UNE-EN 13430:2005 “Packaging – Requirements for packaging recoverable by material recycling”;
  • UNE-EN 13431:2005 “Packaging – Requirements for packaging recoverable in the form of energy recovery, including specification of minimum inferior calorific value” and
  • UNE-EN 13432:2001 “Packaging – Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation – Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging”
  • Other existing harmonized EU and national standards or those that may be approved in the future.
• Packaging shall indicate its reusable status and the symbol associated with the deposit, return and refund system.
• Cosmetic packaging shall indicate the instructions for disposal.
• Packaging cannot bear the claim to be “environmentally friendly” or any other equivalent.
• Packaging that is compostable in home or industrial composting shall be marked with “do not leave in the environment”.
• Manufacturers and/or importers shall have the documents supporting claims on packaging recyclability.

References:

Real Decreto 1055/2022, de 27 de diciembre, de envases y residuos de envases.