Since 12 August 2026, the European packaging regulation (Regulation EU 2025/40) has applied directly in Belgium. For an SME selling a product, the question is not whether to change everything tomorrow morning: it is knowing that your packaging and your labels will have to be redesigned, and deciding now whether that will be a clean redesign or a catch-up job with stickers.

The deadlines are already set. Harmonised labelling of material composition and sorting becomes mandatory on 12 August 2028, information on reusability follows on 12 February 2029, and the empty space ratio in e-commerce parcels will be capped at 50 % on 1 January 2030. According to Eurostat, the Union generated 79.7 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, or 177.8 kg per inhabitant: that is the figure the text aims to bring down.

For you, the stakes are as graphic as they are regulatory. Every mandatory pictogram takes up room on an already crowded surface, and a brand that improvises that integration ends up with unreadable packaging. You have around two years to plan for it.

What the regulation requires on your materials

One sorting label, identical across the Union

From 12 August 2028, every pack must carry a harmonised marking indicating its material composition and the matching sorting instruction, following templates defined at European level. QR codes are allowed, but in addition to the physical label, never instead of it. In practice: an area of your packaging is now reserved, and it is not negotiable.

Constraints that affect the shape, not only the artwork

• Empty space ratio: maximum 50 % for transport, grouped and e-commerce packaging, from 1 January 2030.

• Recyclability: packaging rated below 70 % recyclability (grade C) will be banned from sale in 2030, and every pack must be recyclable at scale by 2035.

• Recycled content: 30 % for food-contact PET and 35 % for other plastic packaging from 2030.

• PFAS: since 12 August 2026, food-contact packaging is capped at 25 ppb per substance and 250 ppb in total.

A smaller box, a different plastic, a modified printable surface: your artwork does not transfer as is.

Why this is a design job, not a printing job

Adding a pictogram the day before sign-off means placing it wherever white space is left. The result: a broken hierarchy, a logo that recedes, insufficient contrast, and three product ranges that no longer match. The useful work is reserving the regulatory area from the layout stage, deciding what gives up room and where, and checking legibility on the actual material.

That matters especially here. Belgium posts the highest packaging recycling rate in the Union, 79.7 % against a European average of 67.5 % according to Eurostat (2023). That result rests on consumers who sort, and therefore on labels they can actually read.

Consistency also matters beyond the shelf. Packaging redone with no link to your visual identity creates an immediate mismatch with your website and your posts: it is the same adaptation work described in our article on adapting your visual identity to social media, applied to the physical product.

Frequently asked questions

Am I concerned if I only sell in Belgium?

Yes. A European regulation applies directly in every Member State, with no transposition. If you place a packaged product on the Belgian market, even without exporting, the obligations apply to you.

I sell online: do I have to change my parcels right away?

Not immediately. The 50 % empty space cap for parcels applies on 1 January 2030. That said, if you renew your range of boxes before then, order compliant formats rather than using up stock and replacing it later.

Can a QR code replace the printed pictograms?

No. Digital marking is intended as a complementary information carrier. The physical label showing composition and sorting stays mandatory from 12 August 2028.

Priority action plan

1. Inventory your packaging: list every item (box, label, pouch, shipping parcel) with its material and remaining stock.

2. Reserve the regulatory area: on every layout, mark out the space for the future sorting marking before drawing anything else.

3. Align everything with your brand guidelines: colours, typography and hierarchy must stay those of your brand, as our article on brand guidelines for an SME points out.

4. Plan the switch around your reprints: bring the new artwork in at the next restock, not in an emergency operation in 2028.

Companies that handle this in 2027 will have compliant, consistent and legible packaging, with no extra cost. Those who wait for the deadline will pay twice: the rushed reprint, then fixing the result.

Do your packaging and labels need to evolve? We redesign them with your brand, not against it: logo design and graphic design.