Pick up almost any box or tray sold in Italy and you will find a short line such as “PAP 21, Raccolta carta, Verifica le disposizioni del tuo Comune”. It tells the consumer three things: what the packaging is made of, which bin it goes in, and that local rules may differ. Since 1 January 2023 Italy has required this information on packaging placed on its market, under Article 219(5) of Legislative Decree 152/2006.
This catches out many sellers from outside Italy, because under EU law the system behind those codes is voluntary. Commission Decision 97/129/EC says so in Article 3, but Italy turned it into a legal requirement. Packaging that is fine in Germany or the Netherlands can therefore fall short in Italy, and the Italian recycling symbols and texts have to be on your artwork before your factory prints it.
What “raccolta plastica” and “raccolta carta” mean
“Raccolta” means collection. On packaging it refers to the separate collection stream the item belongs in, part of what Italians call raccolta differenziata. “Raccolta plastica” therefore tells the consumer to put the item in the plastic collection, and “raccolta carta” points to the paper and cardboard collection. These are the disposal instructions the Italian guidelines ask for on consumer packaging, next to the material code.
| On the pack (Italian) | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Raccolta plastica | Plastic collection |
| Raccolta carta | Paper and cardboard collection |
| Raccolta vetro | Glass collection |
| Raccolta alluminio / Raccolta metalli | Aluminium / metals collection |
| Raccolta indifferenziata | General, non-recyclable waste |
| Raccolta differenziata | Separate waste collection (the system as a whole) |
| Verifica le disposizioni del tuo Comune | Check the rules of your municipality |
The last line matters more than it looks. Collection differs per municipality in Italy, so plastic may be collected together with metals in one town and separately in the next. That is why the guidelines of the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition recommend always adding the instruction to check local rules (source: Ministerial Decree no. 360 of 28 September 2022, Linee guida sull'etichettatura degli imballaggi).
What Italy requires on packaging
The obligation comes from Article 219(5) of Legislative Decree 152/2006, the Italian environmental code, as amended by Legislative Decree 116/2020. Packaging must be labelled so that collection and recycling are easier and consumers know where it should end up, and the packaging material must be identified on the basis of Decision 97/129/EC. The rule applies from 1 January 2023. Under Article 11 of Decree-Law 228/2021, converted by Law 15/2022, products already placed on the market or labelled before that date may be sold until stock runs out.
What you need depends on who receives the packaging:
| Type of packaging | What must be on it |
|---|---|
| Packaging that reaches consumers (B2C) | The material code from Decision 97/129/EC and collection instructions in Italian |
| Packaging that only goes to businesses (B2B) | The material code |
For packaging made of parts that a consumer can separate by hand, such as a box, a plastic tray and a film, each part needs its own code and instruction. When a part is too small to carry it, the guidelines allow the information to go on the main body of the pack or on the outer packaging.
You may also give the information partly or fully through a digital channel such as a QR code, an app or a website, as long as the pack tells the consumer where to find it. The recycling loop with three arrows is optional; Italy does not require it.
Need the artwork files? Download the Italian packaging icons for free in our Academy. Selling in Spain or France as well? See our article on the new Spanish packaging icons and the French Triman symbols.
Italian recycling symbols and material codes: the full list
Each of these Italian recycling symbols is a code: an abbreviation for the material plus a number, as set out in the annexes of Decision 97/129/EC. Lists copied from site to site often get the paper and wood codes wrong. PAP 20 is corrugated cardboard, not newspaper, and FOR 51 is cork, not pressed wood. For plastics, the decision gives the abbreviation for numbers 1 to 6; number 7 covers other plastics.
| Material | Code | Description | Typical packaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | PET 1 | Polyethylene terephthalate | Drink bottles, food trays |
| Plastic | HDPE 2 | High-density polyethylene | Shampoo and detergent bottles |
| Plastic | PVC 3 | Polyvinyl chloride | Blister packs, some films |
| Plastic | LDPE 4 | Low-density polyethylene | Bags, stretch film |
| Plastic | PP 5 | Polypropylene | Food containers, caps and lids |
| Plastic | PS 6 | Polystyrene | Cups, protective foam |
| Plastic | 7 | Other plastics | Mixed or other plastics |
| Paper | PAP 20 | Corrugated fibreboard | Shipping cartons |
| Paper | PAP 21 | Non-corrugated fibreboard | Folding boxes, such as a cereal box |
| Paper | PAP 22 | Paper | Paper bags, wrapping paper |
| Metal | FE 40 | Steel | Tins, aerosol cans |
| Metal | ALU 41 | Aluminium | Drink cans, foil trays |
| Wood | FOR 50 | Wood | Crates, pallets |
| Wood | FOR 51 | Cork | Stoppers |
| Textile | TEX 60 | Cotton | Cotton bags |
| Textile | TEX 61 | Jute | Jute sacks |
| Glass | GL 70 | Colourless glass | Jars, clear bottles |
| Glass | GL 71 | Green glass | Wine bottles |
| Glass | GL 72 | Brown glass | Beer and medicine bottles |
Composite packaging gets the letter C and a slash, followed by the abbreviation of the main material and a number from 80 to 99. A paper cup with a plastic lining, for example, is C/PAP 81 (paper and cardboard with plastic), and a drink carton made of cardboard, plastic and aluminium is C/PAP 84. Plastic combined with aluminium, common in coffee and snack bags, has number 90.
Where it goes wrong when packaging is printed in Asia
In our labelling checks, almost every client's packaging is missing recycling symbols. Packaging for products sourced in Asia is often designed once for the whole EU and printed by the factory or its printer. That makes the Italian information easy to miss, and the problems tend to be the same ones. Often the outer box gets a code but the inner bag or tray does not, even though the consumer separates them. Sometimes the instruction is written in English (“recycle with paper”), which does not meet the Italian guidelines. Or the artwork carries a sorting logo from another country, such as the French Triman, and the designer assumes that covers Italy too.
The cheapest moment to fix this is before mass production. Once a full run of printed cartons is on the pallet, correcting it means stickers or a reprint. So treat the Italian block as part of the approved artwork, and check the printed result on site, not only the PDF.
Having packaging made in Asia? During a First Article Inspection our inspector checks the packaging and printed materials before mass production starts, and a Pre Shipment Inspection checks packaging and labelling before the goods leave.
What happens if your packaging is not compliant
Placing packaging on the Italian market without the information from Article 219(5) is an administrative offence. Article 261(3) of Legislative Decree 152/2006 sets the fine at 5,200 to 40,000 euros. Keep in mind that the label is only one obligation; joining CONAI, the Italian packaging consortium, and paying its environmental contribution (Contributo Ambientale CONAI) is a separate one.
Will the EU replace the Italian label?
Eventually, yes. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, introduces harmonised EU labels for sorting in Article 12. They apply from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the implementing acts enter into force, whichever is later. The Commission missed its own deadline for those acts in August 2026. Once Article 12 applies, Member States can no longer keep additional national sorting instructions next to the EU labels, except for deposit return schemes, so Italy's own labels are expected to give way (source: Envirotec, August 2026).
Until then the Italian rules apply in full. If you are redesigning packaging now, keep the Italian information in a separate block on the artwork. That makes it easy to swap for the EU label later without touching the rest of the design.
Checklist before your packaging goes to print
- List every packaging part the consumer receives, and note which ones can be separated by hand.
- Give each part its code from Decision 97/129/EC, and use C/ with the main material for composites.
- Add the Italian collection instruction for each part, such as “Raccolta plastica”, plus “Verifica le disposizioni del tuo Comune”.
- For outer cartons that only go to businesses, the material code is enough.
- If space is tight, move part of the information to a QR code or website and print where to find it.
- Send the factory the final artwork with the Italian block and approve a printed sample, not only the file.
- Have the printed packaging checked on site before mass production and again before shipment.
Our labelling check looks at your labels and packaging, including the recycling symbols for Italy, Spain and France.
Not sure whether the Italian block on your packaging is complete? Send your artwork through our contact page and tell us which markets you sell in.
Sources
- Legislative Decree 152/2006 (Testo Unico Ambientale), Article 219(5), as amended by Legislative Decree 116/2020, and Article 261(3). Brocardi.it
- Commission Decision 97/129/EC of 28 January 1997 establishing the identification system for packaging materials, Article 3 and Annexes I to VII. EUR-Lex
- Ministry of Ecological Transition, Ministerial Decree no. 360 of 28 September 2022, Linee guida sull'etichettatura degli imballaggi.
- Decree-Law 228/2021 (Milleproroghe), Article 11, converted by Law 15/2022.
- Bird & Bird, Etichettatura ambientale degli imballaggi, March 2023. twobirds.com
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR), Article 12. EUR-Lex
- Envirotec, EU misses deadline for PPWR labelling rules, 19 August 2026. envirotecmagazine.com
