General
Tags
Industry Plan for Sustainable Packaging
Under the Packaging Framework Agreement 2013–2022, thirteen industry sectors developed sustainability plans for packaging between 2013 and 2018. These first-round sector plans set concrete and measura ...
Circular Economy Package (CEP)
On 2 December 2015, the European Commission launched the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy, *Closing the Loop*, also known as the Circular Economy Package (CEP). The plan sets out objectives and ...
Circular Economy
A circular economy describes an economic system based on business models that replace the ‘end-of-life’ concept with the reduction, recycling, and recovery of materials throughout production, distribu ...
Circularity
Circularity describes a restorative system in which waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are kept in an efficient system for as long as possible, maintained at their highest util ...
Coating
A coating is an addition to the surface of a material layer. Characteristics:Usually has a thickness of a few nanometers (nm = 10⁻⁹ m).Does not form an independent material layer.Often used as a ...
Compostable Packaging Materials
Compostable packaging materials are materials that comply with the European Standard EN-13432. This standard assumes a degradation process for compostable plastics of up to 12 weeks at approximately 6 ...
Diftar (Pay‑as‑you‑throw)
Waste levy based on a fixed basic rate plus a variable rate for the disposal of residual waste. Diftar provides a financial incentive for separating residual waste.
Eddy Current
Eddy currents, also known as electrical eddy currents, are used to separate non-ferrous metals (such as aluminum) from a mixed stream of waste materials. Non-ferrous metals only exhibit magnetic behav ...
Extrusion
A shaping technique in which a deformable material is heated in a mold and then pressed. This method is commonly used in the production of plastic granules and packaging.
Metallized Packaging Material
Metal-coated packaging material can consist of various base materials, onto which a metal layer is applied on one side. The material may have a thin layer of metal, usually aluminum, applied either by ...
Source‑Separated Collection
Collection in which a waste stream is separated by type and nature of the waste to facilitate specific treatment. The term “source separation” comes from the fact that the initial separation takes pla ...
Renewable Resource
Raw materials are considered renewable when they come from sources that are naturally replenished within a human timescale (an average human lifetime), in contrast to fossil oil, which takes millions ...
Renewable Materials
Materials made from wood fibers (paper, board) or plastics made from sugars from sugarcane or sugar beet. Not all materials from renewable resources are biodegradable.
Primary Component
In any package, one component is always the largest, heaviest, or thickest. This is considered the primary component of the overall package and is often the part that holds the product. Examples inclu ...
Household Packaging Waste
Household waste: waste from private households, except to the extent that collected fractions are designated as hazardous waste.
Hydrophobic
A material property indicating water‑repellence; the material does not dissolve in water. See also “hydrophilic vs. hydrophobic.”
Complete (Integral) Package
Complete packaging, including the label, closure, etc. Some examples are: a water bottle with cap and label, an aluminum tray with a seal for a ready-to-eat oven meal, and a cardboard box for frozen v ...
Colorant
An additive to the material that gives it the desired color. This can be added to the material before, during, or after the production of the packaging.
Lansink’s Ladder
Former Member of Parliament Lansink submitted a motion in 1979 regarding the desired management of waste. The Lansink Ladder ranks the most environmentally friendly methods of waste treatment. The hig ...
Varnish
Varnish is a thin layer of material applied to a base material. The most common method of applying varnish is by using coating rollers on a coating machine.
Laminate
Laminates are materials composed of multiple layers, used in flexible packaging. The laminates consist of different layers of various flexible materials. These can be laminates of different base mater ...
Lamination
The layers are produced separately and then combined either immediately or at a later stage using an adhesive. In addition to this technique, more and more methods are being developed to add very thin ...
Laser Coding
Laser coding produces a permanent, high-quality mark without adding any material. The resulting code can be highly visible or subtle, depending on the material.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
LCA stands for Life Cycle Assessment and describes the entire life cycle of a product or activity. From the extraction of raw materials, through production and (re)use of materials, to waste processin ...
Mass Balance
A mass balance describes all inputs and outputs of a system or installation. The total input must correspond to the total output. For packaging waste subjected to chemical recycling, the recycled amou ...
Reusable Packaging
Any operation by which a package designed to make a minimum number of trips within its lifetime is refilled or reused for the same purpose for which it was conceived, with or without the aid of market ...
Multi‑Layer
A material made of several layers. Layers may be of the same type (as in mono‑material structures) or different types (as in multimaterial structures).
Multimaterial
A structure that uses different material types—various plastics, or plastics combined with paper or aluminum.
Post‑Collection Sorting
Separating mixed waste after collection into the purest possible fractions using facilities and/or manual picking.
NIR Scanner (Near‑Infrared)
In the recycling industry, NIR scanners (Near-Infrared scanners) are widely used for the automated sorting of materials.A NIR scanner is an optical measuring instrument that uses near-infrared light ( ...
Opaque Packaging
Opaque packaging refers to conventional packaging that has been made non-transparent by the addition of certain colorants. Examples include a non-transparent white plastic milk bottle or a perfume bot ...
Producer or Importer of Packaged Products
From 1 January 2023 to present:Producer or importer: any natural or legal person established in the Netherlands who:places products in packaging on the market;professionally imports products in packag ...
Private‑Label Packer (definition part)
A party that professionally instructs another to package products with its name, logo, or trademark.
Reactive Polyurethane Hot‑melt
An adhesive bond based on polyurethane that forms first by cooling and then polymerizes via moisture. This hot‑melt is not washable in water at low or high temperature, nor in alkali. Used for very fa ...
Innovative Materials—Evidence Requirements
Producers must show materials can be collected and sorted sufficiently and are compatible with existing industrial recycling—or that new industrial‑scale processes exist. *At least 70% of the package’ ...
Recyclate
The output of a completed recycling process that can be used directly to make intermediates or end products. There are two types of recycled material streams: Post-industrial recyclate Post- ...
Post‑Industrial Recyclate (PIR)
Post-industrial recyclate comes from the recycling of industrial waste. This material has not yet been applied or put into use. Therefore, it has not yet fulfilled its packaging function. Consider, fo ...
Post‑Consumer Recyclate (PCR)
Post-consumer recyclate consists of used packaging that has fulfilled its role, been discarded, and processed in standard waste systems. “Consumers” include households and out‑of‑home users (businesse ...
Rigid Packaging
Shape‑retaining packages that are filled as‑is; they keep their shape even when empty.
Disruptive Substance
A substance that disrupts the sorting and recycling process and/or the quality of recycled materials. These substances negatively impact more than just their own packaging. Some examples of disruptive ...
Transition Agenda
In line with the European approach, the Netherlands has developed the government-wide Circular Economy program: Netherlands Circular by 2050 (see also the concept of ‘CEP’). This program was published ...
Transparent Packaging
Packages that transmit light (see‑through). Some materials are naturally more or less transparent; PP, for example, can appear milky.
Packaging (definition)
Current definitionPackaging: all products made of any materials of any nature to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods, from raw materials to processed ...
Virgin Material
Primary (first‑use) material. Can be fossil‑based or biobased.
Filler
A filler is a type of additive that is added to a material during the manufacturing process to improve its properties or to make the final product cheaper. It is not a definable layer. Examples includ ...
Waste management fee
Contribution to the costs of waste management. Verpact uses the waste management contribution to cover the costs incurred in the collection and recycling of packaging. The Packaging Waste Management F ...
Barrier
A barrier can be formed by adding components to packaging materials, such as a coating, laminate, or blended into pulp or granulate. This can create a barrier against external influences, such as mois ...
Commercial waste
Commercial waste: waste materials not classified as household waste or hazardous waste;
Printing
There are several printing methods, in which dyes are used to apply an imprint to a material. The choice of printing technique depends on the type of material and the intended application of the packa ...
Bio-based packaging material
Bio-based packaging material is made from raw materials that are directly or indirectly of natural origin, or from renewable resources. Examples include paper and wood. Several types of plastics (such ...
Disposal logo - Disposal Guide
Logos on the packaging can be used to indicate the categories of waste that the various components of a packaging belong to. Consumers can see at a glance how to dispose of each component.To stimulate ...
Essential requirements
Packaging requirements that must be met, as specified in Article 11 and Annex II of the Packaging Directive.
Miscanthus
Miscanthus, also known as elephant grass, is a plant with versatile uses. In its raw form, this reed-like crop can be used as animal bedding or fuel for stoves, but once processed, it can also be turn ...
Framework Agreement
The Packaging Framework Agreement 2013–2022 outlines the commitments made by municipalities, the packaging industry, and the national government, each from their own area of responsibility. The goal o ...
Recycling (in accordance with Article 3.7 of the Directive)
The reprocessing of waste materials in a production process for their original purpose or for other purposes, including organic recycling but excluding energy recovery.
Mechanical recycling
Technology in which waste is processed through a mechanical process into a reusable raw material that replaces virgin material. For example, in the case of plastics, this involves separating materials ...
Mono-layer
A single layer of material, and therefore always a monomaterial.
Mono-material
Mono-materials are materials that consist of a single material type.ExampleA mono-material can be a single layer of a particular polymer, or multiple layers of the same polymer (for example, two outer ...
Degree of coverage
The percentage of the main component covered by a label or sleeve, which determines whether the NIR scanner can still correctly identify the main component's material.The degree of coverage is determi ...
Obligation to contribute
The contribution obligation relates to the Waste Management Contribution for Packaging. The following frameworks apply:Are you a producer and/or an importer and do you release in excess of 50,000 kilo ...
Contactsensitive (disposable unit)
Contact sensitive refers to materials suitable for direct food contact (humans and animals), for products for skin contact (cosmetics), and for the packaging of hazardous substances.
Sub-components
In addition to a main component, a disposable unit often also consists of sub-components. These are additional parts, such as labels and closures, which are processed together with the main component ...
Disposable unit
Most packaging is discarded in its entirety after use and is, therefore, considered a single disposable unit. Packaging that is not discarded in its entirety but as several separate componen ...
Washable inks
Inks that release from the printed material, but do not dissolve in water, allowing them to be filtered from the water.