Workshop: Procurement of Packaging for Exports

Guyana, April 19-23, 2010

Session 2:
Packaging Laws, Regulations and Standards;
Environmental & Sustainability Issues

Executing/Host Partner: Supporting Partners: Supported with funding from:

Laws & Regulations for Export Packaging

• International

• National

• Regional/Local

Note: All exported goods

must conform with the laws
of the importing country
International Laws Governing Packaging

Most packaging laws relate to dangerous goods

Packs must conform with U.N. recommendations
Air freight has separate (IATA) regulations
Sea freight has separate regulations
The Package Principal Display Panel

(40%)

Principal Display Panels

 Mandatory Label Information:
Product Identity

Must be on principal display panel

Must include product‟s commonly-known name

May have to appear in more than one language

 Mandatory label Information:
Net Quantity

• must appear on the principal display panel

• must be stated in metric units of measure

• if gas or liquid product, must be stated by volume

• if solid product, must be stated by mass/weight

• must state product count, where sold by units

 Mandatory Label Information:
Business Name

• Producing company name

• Company address (city and postal code)

• Local dealer/distributor
For exported products: • Country of origin
• Importer
Specific Label Requirements for Foods

Ingredient listing

Nutritional information

„Best before‟ use by dates

Storage conditions
Other Legislated Label Information

Drug Identification Number (DIN)

National Drug Code (NDC) U.S.

product hazard warning signs

first aid instructions

product disposal instructions
 Deceptive Label Statements &
Product Representations

Avoid: Misleading representation, both textual and graphic

Avoid: Implication, by word or image, of non-existent benefits

Use with caution:

Subjective, non-provable product claims (balanced, prescribed,

authentic, genuine, sensational, true)

Words implying comparison with other products (richer,

smoother, healthier, best, superior)
 Use of National Symbols

National flags, coats of arms etc. are often trademarked.

Permission must be obtained for their use

These symbols must not be used on imported products

in a manner that implies they are of local origin

Symbols of national identity should only be used on

products originating from the country concerned
Environmental Regulations affecting
Packaging include:
Recycling requirements/laws

Material reduction requirements/laws

Bans/restrictions on packages or materials

Restriction on materials accepted for landfill

Green labelling‟ requirements/prohibitions

Mandated pack purchasing preferences

Waste Management Hierarchy: (the 4 R‟s)

Reduce: Reduce pack material use to a

minimum

Reuse: Reuse packages for same/similar purposes

Recycle: Recover and reuse the packaging materials

Recover: Rather than landfill, find other value that

can be recovered – energy, compost, for example
Preferred Eco-solution: Recycling

New package / pack Use and empty,

New product Collect and
material collect empties,
primary
sort sort

New Pack
Type by type
Classify
package/pack Life Cycle classification
and quality
Performance
material - or other
characterization
application

Regrind and
Re-process as Cleaning
Clean if
pelletize
necessary necessary

All packs are recyclable, if costs of doing so ignored

Plastics Identification Codes
 Other Label Information
Labels can convey consumer information
such as:
– Use-by dates
– Bar-codes for product identification & stock control
– Nutritional information
Labels may also serve to:
– Help sales through package promotions
– Provide evidence of tampering
– Protect product from radiation
 Marking and Coding

Marking is the application of variable

information (e.g. serial numbers and/or
codes) to individual packages

Marking technology can permit detailed

“personalising” – coding - of each package
 Bar Coding

• A typical UPC bar code as used in North

America
• UPC or ENA bar-code data is obtained from
the international article numbering bodies
 Marking requirements

Marking on packages must be:

Durable
Communicative
Legible
Visible
 Marking Information
Marks can provide one of three kinds of information:
1 - Shipping marks, the package“address”, eg.:

ITC (Short name of consignee)

27171 (Agreed reference number)
CH - GENEVA, (Destination)
SWITZERLAND (Package number and total)
2/13

2 - Information marks, to provide additional data

concerning safe handling requirements
 Information Marks for Shipping Packs
• Examples of ISO Standard Handling marks
 Marking for Sea and Air Transport

Different marks are required for sea and

air shipping packages:

Transport by Sea Transport by Air

 Packaging Standards and Legislation in
relation to Foodstuffs
• Packaging materials often come into intimate contact
with foodstuffs
• This contact can be dangerous if:
– The food reacts chemically with the package or if
material from the package migrates into the food
– The package is permeable and allows contaminants
(e.g. micro-organisms) to enter the food
– The food deteriorates because it is inadequately
protected from physical conditions (e.g. heat, stress)
– The food deteriorates because of enzymatic or
metabolic action
 Food Packaging:
The Six-Point Safety Plan
 The first comprehensive regulation of food safety
concerned “space food” for astronauts

 From this standard, today‟s food safety codes

(the HACCP codes) have emerged. They can be
summarised as a six-point safety plan:
1 - Use only packaging material approved for
foodstuffs
2 - Find the limits set by the importing country
on, for example, PVC monomer residues or heavy
metals. Avoid non-compliant materials
 Food Packaging:
The Six-Point Safety Plan (contd.)

3 - Be careful to distinguish between mandatory

limits and recommendations
4 - Ensure that materials have been tested in a
way acceptable in the importing country
5 - When ordering packaging materials, specify
the requirements and obtain certification of
compliance from the supplier
6 - Ensure fully hygienic conditions during all
packaging operations; make packaging the
subject of a quality assurance programme
Tampering with Packed Products

• Bio-terrorists and criminals have threatened

public safety and extorted money from food
and drug companies by tampering with packs
and poisoning packaged products on store
shelves
• To resist this, laws have been passed requiring
that medications, in particular, are sold in
tamper-resistant and tamper-evident packaging
 How to Counter Tampering

• No package can be made completely

tamper-proof; it would be unopenable
• Law-makers have largely relied upon
voluntary codes of tamper-proofing practice
in their food packaging industries
• Exporters should learn of and conform to
the anti-tampering codes and practices
applying to their products in target markets
 Eco-Packaging
The basic principles of eco-packaging are:
– Ensure all inputs to the packaging process
(energy, materials, etc.) are efficient and not
wasteful of resources
– Minimize pollution and other environmental
risks, both in the long- and short-term
– Minimize health and safety risks
– Promote environmentally friendly use,
recovery, recycling and eventual disposal of
packaging
Examples of Eco-labels