Recycling symbols on packaging tell people what a pack is made of, how to sort it or who pays for its waste, and PPWR replaces the sorting marks with one harmonised EU label from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act, whichever is later.
Under the EU packaging regulation, marks showing that a producer pays for its waste may only be shown digitally, while national deposit marks stay. Below is what each common symbol means and what the law does to it.
The change reaches further than the plastic codes. National sorting marks such as France's Triman give way too, according to the Commission's guidance.
Recycling symbols on packaging and what PPWR does to each
Below are the symbols and label types this guide covers, with what the law does to each one.
| Symbol | What PPWR does to it |
|---|---|
| Plastic codes (PET 1 to PS 6) | Their source, Decision 97/129/EC, is repealed with effect from 12 August 2028 (article 70(2)), and the Commission's guidance says the codes may no longer be used after that |
| The Green Dot | Article 12(9) says packaging covered by EPR may be identified as such only through a symbol in a QR code or other digital marking. The article does not name the Green Dot |
| Triman and Info-tri | National sorting labels may not be kept next to the EU label after the label date, according to the Commission's guidance |
| Mobius loop | No rule names it. Article 12(8) bans any symbol likely to mislead consumers about what the harmonised label covers |
| Mobius loop with a percentage | It is a recycled content label, which on plastic packaging must follow the EU specifications from the label date (article 12(4)) |
| Compostable labels | The harmonised label must say the pack is compostable, not suitable for home composting and not to be thrown away in nature (article 12(1)) |
| Deposit return marks | They stay. A clear national deposit label is required, and no country may ban the deposit labels of another (article 12(1) and 12(10)) |
| Reusable packaging label | A new label, required from 12 February 2029 or 30 months after the Commission's act, whichever is later, together with a QR code (article 12(2)) |
The label date in this guide means 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act on the label comes into force, whichever is later. The facts follow the text of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on EUR-Lex and the Commission's PPWR guidance of 5 June 2026.
What the common packaging symbols mean today
Each symbol answers a different question for a different person. That difference is what decides how PPWR treats it.
Plastic codes PET 1 to PS 6 tell a sorter the material
The numbers and abbreviations come from Commission Decision 97/129/EC of 1997. PET 1 is polyethylene terephthalate, HDPE 2 is high density polyethylene and PP 5 is polypropylene.
Using the codes is voluntary, but where a company marks the material, it must use this system. The Commission's guidance describes them as mainly aimed at waste managers. Every code is listed in the guide to plastic recycling codes under PPWR.
The Green Dot shows a pack is in a producer take-back system
The Green Dot started in Germany with Duales System Deutschland (DSD). The European Commission's 2001 decision in the DSD case describes it as DSD's registered trade mark, which companies put on sales packaging covered by DSD's take-back system, against a licence fee.
So the Green Dot says nothing about whether a pack can be recycled. It tells you the producer pays into a system that collects the packaging.
Triman and Info-tri tell French households how to sort
Triman is France's national sorting logo. Under article L541-9-3 of the French Environment Code, household packaging sold in France carries the Triman logo together with Info-tri sorting instructions, with household glass drink packaging excepted.
Unlike the codes, Triman speaks to the shopper at the bin. It sits beside the other EPR duties a producer has in France.
The Mobius loop marks a recyclable claim
The loop of three chasing arrows is defined in ISO 14021, the standard for self-declared environmental claims. On its own it claims the pack is recyclable. With a percentage inside, such as 30%, it states the share of recycled content.
The loop is not an EU label, and no EU act requires it. How companies may use it as a claim is covered in the guide to ISO 14021 and self-declared environmental claims.
When PPWR changes the recycling symbols on packaging
Four dates matter, and each one belongs to a different symbol.
- 12 February 2027. Article 12(9) says that by this date, packaging covered by EPR may be identified as such only through a symbol in a QR code or other standardised, open digital marking. It is the rule that matters for a mark like the Green Dot, although the article names no mark.
- 12 August 2028. PPWR repeals Decision 97/129/EC with effect from that day (article 70(2)), and with it the plastic codes, according to the Commission's guidance.
- The label date. From 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission's act, whichever is later, the harmonised label is mandatory (article 12(1)), recycled content labels follow the EU format (article 12(4)) and national sorting labels may no longer sit beside it.
- 12 February 2029 or 30 months after the act, whichever is later. Reusable packaging must carry the reusable label and a QR code (article 12(2)).
The Commission had until 12 August 2026 to adopt the act that sets the label (article 12(6)) and has not done so yet. As of 7 October 2026, the European Commission's Have your say page on harmonised labels shows the act in preparation, with adoption planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
Article 12(8) adds a general rule. No label, mark or symbol may be shown that is likely to mislead or confuse consumers about the things the harmonised label covers. Neither the law nor the Commission's guidance names the Mobius loop under this rule.
The harmonised EU label that replaces national sorting symbols
The harmonised label shows what the packaging is made of, so that consumers can sort it. It is based on pictograms and must be easy to understand, including for people with disabilities (article 12(1)).
The pictograms do not exist yet. They will be set in the Commission's act, so any design you see online today is a guess.
Three points about the label are already fixed in the law.
- It goes on the pack 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 displays the same information (article 12(5))
- It uses a language people in the selling country understand, as that country decides (article 12(5))
Transport packaging, apart from e-commerce packaging, and packaging in a deposit return system fall outside the label duty (article 12(1)).
Triman and other national sorting labels give way to the EU label
The Commission's guidance says packaging labelling under article 12 is fully harmonised. EU countries may not keep their national sorting labels next to the EU label after the label date, and should repeal or adapt their rules before then.
How and when France ends the Triman duty is for French law to settle. Until it does, packaging sold to French households still follows article L541-9-3.
Deposit return marks and the other labels PPWR already fixes
Three kinds of label get their own rules in article 12, beside the main sorting label.
- Deposit return marks. Packaging in a mandatory deposit return system carries a clear national label. It may also carry a harmonised colour label, which a country may make mandatory, and no country may ban the deposit labels of another (article 12(1) and 12(10)).
- Compostable packaging. The label must say the pack is compostable, that it is not suitable for home composting and that it must not be thrown away in nature (article 12(1)).
- Reusable packaging. A label saying the pack is reusable, plus a QR code with information on the reuse system and collection points (article 12(2)). Open loop systems without a system operator are exempt (article 12(3)).
Labels on recycled content or bio-based plastic content stay voluntary, according to the Commission's guidance. Once you use one, it must follow the EU specifications from the label date (article 12(4)).
Packaging you have already printed with old symbols
Packaging made in the EU or imported before the label dates, and which does not carry the new labels, may still be sold for 3 years from those dates (article 12(12)).
That rule is about the new labels only. It does not say an old symbol may stay in use, so the safe plan is to drop the plastic codes from new artwork from 12 August 2028.
A useful first step today is a list of your packs, the symbols each one carries 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
Labelling is one of the requirements the EU declaration of conformity for packaging covers. Article 39(1) says the declaration states that meeting the requirements of articles 5 to 12 has been demonstrated, and article 12 is the labelling article.
Repax Declare builds that declaration, so the labels on each pack become one more point you confirm with the rest of its 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 choose the symbols, 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 recycling symbols
Below are the seven questions people ask most often about recycling symbols on packaging.
What are recycling symbols on packaging?
They are the marks that tell people what a pack is made of, how to sort it or whether the producer pays into a collection system. Common ones are the plastic codes such as PP 5, the Green Dot, France's Triman and the Mobius loop.
Are recycling symbols changing under PPWR?
Yes, most of them. The plastic codes end on 12 August 2028, national sorting labels give way to one harmonised EU label from the label date, and marks showing EPR membership may only be shown digitally. Deposit marks stay.
Is the Green Dot still allowed on packaging?
Article 12(9) says packaging covered by EPR may be identified as such only through a symbol in a QR code or other digital marking, by 12 February 2027. The law does not name the Green Dot, so check with your PRO before reprinting.
Does the Mobius loop have to go under PPWR?
No rule names it. Article 12(8) bans symbols likely to mislead consumers about what the harmonised label covers, and a loop with a percentage counts as a recycled content label, which on plastic packaging must follow the EU format.
When does the harmonised 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 7 October 2026 the act was in preparation, with adoption planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
Can France keep requiring the Triman logo?
According to the Commission's guidance, EU countries may not keep national sorting labels such as Triman next to the harmonised EU label after the label date, and should repeal or adapt their rules before then.
Can I keep selling packaging with the old symbols on it?
Packaging made or imported before the label date that lacks the new label may be sold for 3 years from that date (article 12(12)). The rule does not keep the plastic codes alive past 12 August 2028.
