Summary

Apparel and footwear brands and retailers are facing increasing pressure to comply with new packaging regulations that aim to reduce waste, improve recyclability, and ensure transparency in sourcing. While packaging is very important for online retail, other items in scope are product packaging, hangtags, and logistics packaging. Legislation across the EU and beyond is setting stricter rules on how packaging is designed, used, and reported, making compliance necessary for businesses that want to avoid penalties and stay ahead.

"I used to think packaging compliance was only logos concerning waste and recycling. Now I feel we need a whole packaging strategy to meet new legal requirements… while maintaining efficiency and sustainability."

Despite having to consider packaging costs, consumer expectations and effective packaging assortment. Packaging teams must also consider:

Materials: Minimum recycled content and restriction on single-use packaging. Paper sources must be deforestation-free.

Extended Producer Responsibility: Packaging volumes placed on the market must be reported and paid for to Producer Responsibility Organisations.

Communicate: There is high consumer engagement for sustainability messaging on packaging. Be accurate and compliant.

Ignoring these rules can lead to fines, market restrictions, and reputational damage, while proactive compliance can help brands reduce costs and improve sustainability. The key actions to be taken by logistics and retail teams are:

• Label- EU and national schemes to identify packaging materials and waste channels.
• Verify- Ensure all paper-based packaging complies with deforestation-free standards by sourcing from compliant suppliers.
• Reduce- Minimise packaging materials and prioritise lightweight, reusable, and recyclable options.

Legislations Concerning Packaging

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Stop

Packaging Legislation limits single-use plastic packaging in France, while the EU ESG legislation is phasing out non-recyclable materials across the single market.

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Start

Adjusting your sourcing to increasingly high recycled content and to suppliers and supply channels that are easy to prove they are deforestation free.

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Continue

Each EU country has its own EPR rules and recycling mandates, make sure you are up-to-date for each countries requirements and sign up to the relevant PROs.

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What Should you be doing?

Brands

Brands need to redesign packaging strategies to comply with new regulations and reduce their environmental impact. Here’s how:

1. Understand the regulations
2. Reduce unnecessary packaging – Transition to minimal, reusable, or recyclable packaging to cut costs and meet regulatory thresholds.
3. Improve material sourcing – Work with suppliers to ensure all paper-based packaging is deforestation-free and meets EUDR compliance.
4. Revise labelling and disclosures – Follow Loi AGEC’s mandatory labelling rules to ensure proper consumer recycling guidance.
5. Set up monitoring & reporting – Track packaging materials, recyclability, and compliance metrics to prepare for future audits and reporting obligations.

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Manufacturers

Apparel and footwear manufacturers inside and outside the EU also need to be aware of the new EU and national sustainability requirements. Key steps include:

• Labelling - Stay up-to-date with national and EU labelling material and recycling information
• Suppliers – Provide detailed environmental impact data on packaging materials and enable brands to comply with labelling and reporting rules.
• Inside EU Producers – Ensure that any packaging you are bringing into the EU is deforestation free.

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Key Dates for Packaging Legislation

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