Prevention and Management of Packaging Waste
Information for End Users in Accordance with Regulation (EU) 2025/40:
At Ocean Signal, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our packaging while ensuring our products are protected throughout storage and transportation. You also play an important role in helping prevent packaging waste and ensuring packaging materials are managed responsibly at the end of their useful life.
Your Role in Preventing Packaging Waste:
Preventing packaging waste is the first and most effective step in reducing environmental impacts. By making responsible choices about how packaging is used and managed, you help conserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
You can help prevent packaging waste by:
- Reusing boxes, cartons, and protective packaging whenever practical.
- Avoiding unnecessary disposal of packaging that remains suitable for future use.
- Using existing packaging for product storage, shipping, or returns where appropriate.
- Reducing unnecessary consumption of additional packaging materials whenever possible.
- Following local guidance for the proper management of packaging materials.
Every effort to extend the useful life of packaging helps reduce waste generation and supports a more sustainable circular economy.
Reuse of Packaging:
Many packaging materials can serve additional purposes before they become waste.
Where practical, consider reusing packaging for:
- Product storage.
- Future transportation or shipping.
- Product returns.
- Household or workplace organization.
Reusing packaging extends its useful life, reduces demand for new packaging materials, and helps prevent unnecessary waste.
If packaging is no longer suitable for reuse, it should be sorted and disposed of through the appropriate recycling or waste collection system.
Separate Collection of Packaging Waste:
Once packaging can no longer be reused, it should be collected separately from general household waste whenever separate collection systems are available.
Depending on your location, packaging materials may include:
- Paper and cardboard
- Plastic packaging
- Metal packaging
- Glass packaging
- Wood packaging
- Composite packaging
Please follow the sorting instructions and collection requirements established by your municipality or local waste management authority.
Proper separation improves recycling efficiency and increases the amount of material that can be recovered for future use.
Reuse, Preparation for Reuse, Recycling, and Other Recovery:
After collection, packaging materials may undergo one or more recovery processes depending on their condition and material type.
These processes may include:
- Reuse, where packaging is used again for its original purpose.
- Preparation for reuse, where packaging is inspected, cleaned, or repaired before being reused.
- Recycling, where materials are processed into raw materials for the manufacture of new products.
- Other recovery operations, where permitted under applicable legislation.
Returning packaging through the appropriate collection system helps maximize opportunities for material recovery and supports the efficient use of natural resources.
Proper Disposal and Prevention of Littering:
Packaging should never be discarded in the natural environment.
Improper disposal can contribute to pollution affecting:
- Oceans and waterways.
- Beaches and coastal areas.
- Parks and recreational areas.
- Wildlife habitats.
- Urban environments.
Always place packaging in the appropriate collection or recycling container provided by your local authority.
Responsible disposal helps protect ecosystems, reduces litter, and ensures valuable materials remain available for future recycling.
Meaning of Packaging Labels and Sorting Symbols:
Packaging may display symbols or markings that help identify how it should be managed after use.
These may include:
- Material identification codes.
- Recycling symbols.
- National or regional sorting symbols.
- Instructions identifying the appropriate waste collection stream.
These markings are intended to help consumers correctly separate packaging materials and improve recycling performance.
Because packaging collection systems and sorting requirements vary between countries and municipalities, always follow the instructions provided by your local waste management authority if they differ from the information displayed on the packaging.
Working Together for a Circular Economy:
Manufacturers, distributors, retailers, waste management organizations, and consumers all play an important role in reducing packaging waste.
By preventing unnecessary waste, reusing packaging whenever practical, correctly separating materials for collection, and following local recycling guidance, you help conserve natural resources, reduce environmental impacts, and support the transition to a circular economy.
Thank you for helping manage packaging responsibly and contributing to a more sustainable future.