Yes. PET 1, PP 5 and the other plastic recycling codes on EU packaging come from Commission Decision 97/129/EC, which PPWR, the EU packaging regulation, repeals with effect from 12 August 2028.
After that date the European Commission's guidance says the codes may no longer be used, and a harmonised EU label based on pictograms takes over.
Below is what each code means, what replaces the codes and what happens to packaging you have already printed.
The codes were never meant for shoppers. The Commission describes them as a system mainly aimed at waste managers, while the new EU label is built for the person standing at the bin.
Key facts about plastic recycling codes under PPWR
Below are the facts that decide what happens to the codes on your packaging.
| Fact | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Where the codes come from | Commission Decision 97/129/EC of 28 January 1997, the identification system for packaging materials |
| Required today | No. Using the codes is voluntary, but where a company marks the material, it must use this system |
| Last day | The decision is repealed with effect from 12 August 2028 (PPWR article 70(2)) |
| After that | The Commission's guidance says using the decision's abbreviations is no longer allowed |
| What replaces them | A harmonised EU label on material composition, from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act, whichever is later (article 12(1)) |
| Old stock | Packaging made or imported before the label date may be sold for 3 more years (article 12(12)) |
The facts follow the text of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on EUR-Lex, the original decision in the Official Journal, and the Commission's PPWR guidance of 5 June 2026.
What PET 1 and PP 5 actually mean
Each code is a number paired with a short abbreviation for the material. Decision 97/129/EC on EUR-Lex sets them in seven annexes, one per material group, and says only capital letters may be used.
Below are the six plastic codes the decision names, with the three paper codes from the same decision.
| Code | Material |
|---|---|
| PET 1 | Polyethylene terephthalate, the plastic common in drinks bottles |
| HDPE 2 | High density polyethylene |
| PVC 3 | Polyvinyl chloride |
| LDPE 4 | Low density polyethylene |
| PP 5 | Polypropylene |
| PS 6 | Polystyrene |
| PAP 20 | Corrugated fibreboard |
| PAP 21 | Non-corrugated fibreboard |
| PAP 22 | Paper |
Numbers 7 to 19 are left open in the EU decision, so they are not tied to any plastic. Where a pack shows a 7 for "other" plastics, that number does not come from the EU decision.
The same decision also covers steel (FE 40), aluminium (ALU 41), wood and cork (FOR 50 and 51), cotton and jute (TEX 60 and 61), glass (GL 70 to 72) and composites (80 to 98, written C/ plus the main material).
The triangle of arrows that is often printed around the number is not part of the decision. The decision sets only the numbers and the abbreviations, and what plastic packaging itself must achieve under PPWR is covered in the guide to PPWR requirements for plastic packaging.
Where you find the codes on packaging today
On packaging, the codes are moulded into the base of a bottle, tub or tray, or printed on a film or a box. They sit there because a manufacturer chose to put them there.
The decision makes the codes voluntary (article 3). What it does lock is the system. The Commission's guidance says EU countries must make sure no other system for identifying packaging materials is used, so where a company marks the material, it has to be this one.
Who the codes were made for
The decision was adopted under article 8(2) of the old Packaging Directive 94/62/EC. Its job was to say what a pack is made of, so the waste industry could identify and sort it.
The Commission's guidance describes the codes in those terms, as a system of numbering and abbreviations mainly aimed at waste managers. It also gives the reason they can go: modern sorting after collection relies less on such markings, and one label across the single market is the aim.
The new label turns the question around. Article 12(1) of PPWR says the harmonised label is there to help consumers sort, and that it has to be easy to understand, including for people with disabilities.
What PPWR changes for the codes and when
Two dates matter, and they are not the same date.
- 12 August 2028. PPWR repeals Decision 97/129/EC with effect from that day (article 70(2)). According to the Commission's guidance, the decision still applies until then, and after it the use of its abbreviations is no longer allowed.
- The label date. Packaging placed on the market must carry the harmonised EU label from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act on the label comes into force, whichever is later (article 12(1)).
The Commission had until 12 August 2026 to adopt that act (article 12(6)) and has not done so yet. As of 5 October 2026, the European Commission's Have your say page on harmonised labels marks the act as in preparation, with adoption planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
So the codes stop on a fixed date, while the label that replaces them may become mandatory a little later. Plan for both.
Article 12(8) adds one more rule. Once the harmonised label exists, no label, mark or symbol may be used that is likely to mislead or confuse consumers about the things that label covers.
The harmonised EU label that replaces the codes
The harmonised label shows what the packaging is made of, so that consumers can sort it. It is based on pictograms (article 12(1)).
The pictograms themselves do not exist yet. They will be set in the Commission's act, which has not been published, so nobody can show you the final design today, and any version you see online is a guess.
Three points about the new label are already fixed in the law.
- It goes on the packaging itself, visibly and in a way that cannot easily be erased, and on the grouped packaging only where the pack is too small (article 12(5))
- It is shown before purchase online, so a web shop must display the same information (article 12(5))
- A QR code may sit next to it, telling the consumer where each separate part of the pack should go (article 12(1))
The label obligation does not cover transport packaging, apart from e-commerce packaging, or packaging in a deposit and return system (article 12(1)).
Packaging you have already printed
Packaging made in the EU or imported before the label date, and which does not carry the harmonised label, may still be sold for 3 years from that date (article 12(12)).
That rule is about the new label. It does not say the old codes may stay in use after 12 August 2028, so the safe plan is to drop the codes from new artwork from that date.
A good first step today is to list which of your packs carry a code and when each artwork is next due for a reprint. The reprints after August 2028 are the ones to change.
How Declare fits the label rules
The labelling in article 12 is one of the requirements that the EU declaration of conformity for packaging confirms. Article 39(1) says the declaration states that the fulfilment of the requirements in articles 5 to 12 has been demonstrated.
Repax Declare builds that declaration, so the labelling becomes one more point you sign off with the rest of the pack's requirements.
Try Repax Declare for free - no card required Fill in the form, sign it, and get your first declaration. Try it freeDeclare does not design the label or the artwork, and no tool makes packaging compliant on its own. That stays with the manufacturer, as the full guide to the EU declaration of conformity explains.
Frequently asked questions about plastic recycling codes
Below are the seven questions people ask most about the plastic codes and PPWR, each answered on its own.
What are plastic recycling codes?
They are the numbers and abbreviations, such as PET 1, HDPE 2 and PP 5, that identify the material a pack is made of. In the EU they come from Commission Decision 97/129/EC of 1997, which sets one code for each common packaging material.
Are plastic recycling codes going away?
Yes. PPWR repeals Decision 97/129/EC with effect from 12 August 2028, and the Commission's guidance says its abbreviations are no longer allowed after that date. A harmonised EU label based on pictograms replaces them for consumer sorting.
What does PP 5 mean on packaging?
PP 5 means the pack is made of polypropylene. The 5 is the number Decision 97/129/EC gives polypropylene, and PP is its abbreviation. Like the other codes, it may no longer be used after 12 August 2028.
What does PET 1 mean?
PET 1 means the pack is made of polyethylene terephthalate, the plastic common in drinks bottles. The 1 is its number under Decision 97/129/EC, the EU identification system for packaging materials.
Is the triangle with a number required in the EU?
No. Using the codes has always been voluntary under Decision 97/129/EC, and the triangle of arrows is not part of that decision at all. Where a company does mark the material, it must use the decision's numbers and abbreviations.
When does the new EU packaging label become mandatory?
From 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act on the label comes into force, whichever is later. As of October 2026 that act was planned for the fourth quarter of 2026 and had not been adopted.
Can I keep selling packaging that still has the codes on it?
Packaging made or imported before the label date that lacks the new label may be sold for 3 years from that date. The rule does not keep the old codes alive, so drop them from new artwork from 12 August 2028.
