EU Packaging Regulation Enters Force Requiring PFAS and Metal Conformity Files
Buyers must secure Declarations of Conformity and PFAS-free test results for all packaging entering the European Union.
Product Packaging
Containment Engineering
The structural materials, specialized containers, and protective systems designed to enclose, preserve, protect, and identify industrial commodities throughout handling, transit, and storage constitute a fundamental stage of product distribution. Designated across production planning and transport operations as product packaging, this operational discipline integrates primary barriers, secondary bundling, and tertiary transit units into an integrated logistics system. It controls corrugated fiberboard cartons, flexible intermediate bulk containers, steel drums, multi-wall paper sacks, and stretch-wrapped wooden pallets.
The boundary excludes cargo holds and standard intermodal shipping containers, ending when protective packaging is removed by the final processor.
Structural Categories
Industrial distribution classifies packaging systems into primary, secondary, and tertiary layers based on functional proximity to the underlying commodity. Primary packaging contacts the product directly, utilizing aluminum moisture-barrier bags for hygroscopic engineering plastics, lined steel drums for hazardous liquid chemicals, or anti-static bags for sensitive electronic wafers. Secondary packaging groups primary units into manageable handling modules, using heavy-duty corrugated cartons and internal foam or fiberboard partitions to prevent abrasion.
Tertiary packaging prepares consolidated cargo for heavy logistics movement, combining stretch-wrapped pallet loads, edge protectors, and strapping bands capable of withstanding rough maritime transit, warehouse stacking stresses, and sudden intermodal rail shunting forces.
Operational Demands
Packaging selection balances material costs, barrier performance, tare weight, and regulatory compliance standards for dangerous goods transport. Industrial shippers evaluate transit conditions, selecting packaging designs based on drop test ratings, stacking strength compression values, and environmental barrier permeability for moisture and oxygen. Hazardous chemical containers must secure UN certification markings proving performance compliance during structural drop, hydrostatic pressure, and leakage testing.
Rising regulatory mandates demand packaging designs featuring higher post-consumer recycled content, reduced total mass, and mono-material constructions that simplify recycling processing. Inadequate packaging specifications lead to transit damage claims, product contamination, and regulatory refusal at freight distribution terminals.