Ordinary packaging declaration

What packaging has to be reported?

Every item manufactured with materials of any kind used to contain, protect, handle, distribute or present goods, from raw materials to finished products, at any stage in the manufacturing, distribution and consumption chain, qualifies as packaging.

Household packaging is intended to be used or consumed by individuals, provided that this packaging is likely to be purchased by the consumer in shops, regardless of the place of sale or consumption. Commercial packaging is that intended for the use and consumption typical of commercial activity, wholesale and retail, catering services and bars, offices and markets, as well as the rest of the service sector. And industrial packaging is intended for the use and consumption typical of the economic activity of industries, agricultural, livestock, forestry or aquaculture concerns.

Here we detail which packaging is subject to declaration and which is not and its peculiarities.

Packaging subject to declaration and contribution to the SCRAP

  1. On a mandatory basis: All household packaging must pay into the Collective Extended Producer Responsibility System (SCRAP) so that it an be recovered and the processed.

  2. Voluntarily until the end of 2024: Commercial packaging, as long as the waste is managed by Local Entities. Learn more about the new obligations for commercial packaging starting in January 2025.

Packaging for which the company will not have to pay into the SCRAP

  • Commercial packaging: when responsibility for processing the waste is transferred to the last holder, possible until the end of 2024. Starting in 2025, the new regulation for commercial packaging will apply.

  • Industrial Packaging: can be reported in the declaration until the end of 2024. Starting in 2025, the new regulation for industrial packaging will apply.

Special cases to bear in mind

Here we give you additional information that may be interesting when preparing the packaging declaration: how to meet the legal requirement to report to the Autonomous Community everything regarding the packaging material and how to act in the case of distribution brands or imports.

Discover our Declaration Help Service

If you have difficulty preparing the packaging declaration, we make available to you a help service consisting of the following characteristics and benefits:

This service has no additional cost for companies, although the number of Declaration Help Services per year is limited.

The companies that are part of Ecoembes are required to submit, before 28 February of each year, a Packaging Declaration that is normally filled in using the Packaging Data Platform, accessible from the Ecoembes Business Portal. This service will consist of analysing the information to support the preparation of the declaration submitted by the companies that are part of Ecoembes (both SCRAP and NON-SCRAP packaging)  and to propose a data structure compatible with the Packaging Data Platform. Once the proposal is validated by the company, Ecoembes will upload the Packaging Declaration, thus completing the delivery process in due time and manner.

  • Delivering the Packaging Declaration on time (28 February).
  • Aligning Ecoembes’ need for information with the information available in the company.
  • Consolidating, from the company’s side, the concepts associated to the packaging declaration.
  • Having information quality and learning how to prepare the declaration in the future.
  • Exemption from reviews of packaging declarations done by Ecoembes.:
    • Subcontracting audits
    • Verifying PEP measures
  • Identifying possible prevention measures and ecodesign measures.
  • Having advice on the detailed preparation and uploading of the declaration.
  • Phone or in-person customised support whenever necessary.

  • Submitting the packaging declaration under the ordinary declaration mode (through the Packaging Data Platform).
  • Having a contract in force with Ecoembes and being up to date with the obligations resulting from said contract.
  • Filling and sending the “Request form”.
  • Submitting the documentation necessary to prepare the packaging declaration before 4 February of the current year. If the documentation is received after that date, Ecoembes will assess whether to automatically suspend the service.
  • In order to make the most of the experience, the availability of the people in the Company involved in preparing the Packaging Declaration on the dates set for the service must be ensured.
  • Ecoembes will assess the need for an on-premises visit to the company to facilitate the preparation of the declaration.

To ensure the information is properly verified and the declaration is filed by the deadline, we recommend:

  • Providing the technical documentation within two weeks after registering in the Help Service.
  • Providing the sales information before 4-5 February of the current year.

Once the documentation described above is received and the request is confirmed to satisfy the requirements for participating, based on the volume of requests received, Ecoembes may take into account the following criteria when providing the Help Service:

  • 5 points: Complexity of the declaration based on the information compiled in the Request form.
    • Lower average life of references (2 points)
    • Other aspects: resource planning systems, availability of specifications, number of departments involved in preparing the declaration, ... (1 point)
    • Greater number of references (2 points)
  • 3 points: No participation in previous editions of the Declaration Help Service. The Service will be offered for a maximum of 2 consecutive years.
  • 2 points: Implementation of selective compilation of packaging in corporate facilities. The company must certify this requirement in the Request form.
  • 2 points: Implementation of selective compilation of packaging in corporate facilities. The company must certify this requirement in the Request form.