Tech Watch: EU New Requirements for Plastic Products

On 24 February 2025, The European Commission published the Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/351 which amends the following Regulations applicable to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food:

Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food
Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food as regards recycled plastic
Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006 on good manufacturing practices for materials and articles intended to come into contact with food

The main amends are:

Legislation	Main Amendments
Regulation (EU) No 10/2011	The list of definitions for "additive," "plastic reprocessing," "UVCB substance," and "high purity" has been updated The requirements for "high purity" substances and "unintentionally added substances" have been clarified Update of general requirements on substances and general restrictions and requirements concerning the composition of plastic materials and articles New main label requirements for plastic food contact articles are: Appropriate instructions to slow down the deterioration of the article A description of observable changes in the article that may indicate the deterioration of the article or material A warning in case specific damages or foreseeable misuse would cause increased migration or would cause the article to become otherwise unsuitable for further use in contact with food The instructions of use shall mention the restrictions and provide the consumer with adequate information to avoid using the article under conditions not complying with such restrictions Supporting documents: The manufacturer shall provide the material composition and purity documents as required by the competent authority
Regulation (EU) No 2022/1616	The requirements set out in Chapters II and III and Chapter V of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 shall apply to recycled plastic materials and articles.
Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006	The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006 is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.

Plastic materials and articles which comply with European legislations which were first placed on the market before 16 September 2026 may continue to be placed on the market until the exhaustion of stocks.

These amendments take effect on 16 March 2025.

For more information, consult the official publication on the European Commission website here.