On the 18th December 2020 the EU Commission published in the Official Journal of the European Union the harmonised marking specifications for requirements for the marking of single-use plastic products which includes wet wipes (pre-wetted personal care and domestic wipe products).

Packaging of the wet wipes with a surface area of 10 cm2 or more, shall bear the following printed marking:

The language shall be written in the official language of the Member State(s) where the single-use product is placed on the market. The Regulations also gives details regarding the position and the size of the picture and font. This regulation will apply from 3rd of July 2021. Products placed on the market before 4th July 2022 may be affixed by means of stickers. These provisions are applicable in Northern Ireland from this date. The Northern Ireland Protocol within the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement states that the EU Directives and Regulations found in Annex II of the NI Protocol continue to apply in NI after 1 January 2021.

Currently the UK has not implemented this element of the EU Single Use Plastics Directive into UK law.

For more information regarding this contact: info@msl.io