Since 1 January 2025, household packaging sold in Spain has to tell the consumer which container it belongs in. The rule comes from Article 13 of Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste. The decree does not prescribe a logo. The yellow, blue and green Spanish recycling symbols you see on shelves are a voluntary system, not a logo or design laid down in law.
That gives you room, but a familiar icon alone is not enough. The container has to be clear from the marking, the text has to be in Spanish, and some claims are banned outright.
What Spain requires on packaging since 2025
Article 13(2) of Royal Decree 1055/2022 states that household packaging must indicate the fraction or container in which it should be disposed of. Household packaging (envase doméstico) is defined broadly in Article 2: packaging of products meant for private use or consumption that a consumer could buy in a shop, whether it is the primary pack, the outer box or the shipping carton. The marking obligations of Article 13 apply from 1 January 2025 under the fifth final provision of the decree.
The decree does not prescribe a format, so text, a colour or a symbol can all work, as long as the marking sits on the packaging or its label, is clearly visible and easy to read, and stays readable after the pack is opened (Article 13(8)).
If a pack consists of materials that a consumer can easily separate, each part gets its own container. If the materials cannot be separated, or the pack is a composite, you indicate the container for the material with the highest weight, unless you can show that another container works better for recycling.
Spanish recycling symbols and logos
In practice many brands use the icons that Ecoembes, the Spanish packaging recycling scheme, offers to its members. They follow the colours of the Spanish street containers; glass goes to the green container, which Ecovidrio runs. Using these icons is voluntary; what counts legally is that the consumer can see which container to use.
| Container | Colour | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Contenedor amarillo | Yellow | Plastic packaging, metal packaging (cans, tins) and drink cartons |
| Contenedor azul | Blue | Paper and cardboard packaging |
| Contenedor verde | Green | Glass packaging |
| Contenedor marrón | Brown | Organic waste |
Need the artwork files? Download the Spanish packaging symbols for free in our Academy, in SVG, PNG and PDF. Selling in Italy or France as well? See our article on Italian recycling symbols and the French Triman symbols.
What you may not print on packaging in Spain
Article 13(3) prohibits the words “respetuoso con el medio ambiente” (environmentally friendly) on packaging, and any equivalent wording that could lead people to leave the packaging in the environment. A recyclability percentage is only allowed if it comes from an auditable assessment that independent third parties can certify, reviewed at least every five years (Article 13(4)). If you state a recycled content percentage, you need documents that prove it (Article 13(6)).
The Green Dot (Punto Verde) is not banned. Article 13(2) allows packaging to carry a symbol showing that the producer is part of an extended producer responsibility scheme, but it is optional, and Article 21(4) adds that such a symbol must not mislead about recyclability.
Two types of packaging have extra rules. Compostable plastic packaging must state that it is certified to UNE EN 13432 and carry the text “no abandonar en el entorno” (do not leave in the environment), under Article 13(5). Reusable packaging must say that it is reusable and, where a deposit system applies, carry its symbol (Article 13(2)).
Can you use a QR code instead?
Only in specific cases. The decree itself says nothing about QR codes. The interpretive note of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) accepts a QR code instead of on-pack information in two cases only: products that already had a QR code before 1 January 2025, and packaging labelled in several languages for several EU countries. The sorting information must then appear on the first screen after scanning, without sales or marketing content next to it.
The note also allows a digital alternative where the information cannot physically go on the pack, for example packaging 10 cm wide or less. For a multipack, the information may go on the sales unit instead of on each item, but only if marking each item is not possible.
Which language the marking must be in
In Spanish. Royal Decree 1055/2022 has no language rule of its own. The general Spanish consumer law does: Article 18(3) of the consolidated General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users requires mandatory label information to be given at least in Castilian Spanish. A sorting instruction in English only does not meet that.
Who is responsible when you sell from outside Spain
The decree places the marking obligation on the producer of the packaged product (productor de producto), defined in Article 2: the packer, or whoever imports packaged products into Spain or buys them in another EU country to place them on the Spanish market. Article 17(1) requires that producer to place packaging on the market that meets the marking requirements.
A producer based outside Spain must appoint an authorised representative in Spain under Article 17(2). If it does not, the first distributor or retailer based in Spain becomes responsible. Selling online from Asia or the UK therefore does not remove the obligation; someone in the chain has to answer for it.
Since 12 August 2026 the EU has a comparable rule. Under Article 45(3) of the PPWR, a producer that sells packaged products directly to end users in an EU country where it is not established must appoint an authorised representative for extended producer responsibility in that country. For producers established outside the EU, the same paragraph and recital 123 let each EU country decide whether to require this, so check the rules of each country you sell in. We do not act as authorised representative for extended producer responsibility in Spain ourselves. We arrange EPR for France and Germany, and for Spain we refer you to a partner.
Old stock and penalties
For stock that already existed, MITECO's note allowed packaging made, bought in the EU or imported before 1 January 2025 to be sold until it ran out, within a maximum of six months. That window has passed, so packaging placed on the Spanish market now needs the marking.
Penalties follow the Spanish waste law, Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils, and where relevant the industry and consumer laws, as Article 54 of the decree indicates. Article 109 of the waste law sets fines of up to 2,000 euros for minor infringements and 2,001 to 100,000 euros for serious ones. The law has no separate category for marking; a general clause classes breaches of its implementing rules as serious (Article 108(3)(b)), so a minor-infringement fine is not guaranteed.
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 changes when the EU labels arrive
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, introduces a harmonised EU label for sorting in Article 12(1). It applies from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the implementing acts enter into force, whichever is later. The Commission missed the 12 August 2026 deadline the regulation set for those acts (source: Envirotec, August 2026). Packaging made or imported before that date that does not meet the new rules may still be sold for three years (Article 12(12)).
Until then the Spanish rules apply in full. If you redesign packaging now, keep the Spanish sorting information in a separate block on the artwork, so you can swap it for the EU label later.
Checklist before your packaging goes to Spain
- Check whether your packaging is household packaging; packaging of consumer products sold in shops counts, including the outer box.
- Indicate the container for each part the consumer can separate, or for the heaviest material if they cannot be separated.
- Put the information on the packaging or label in Spanish, clearly visible and durable.
- Use the Ecoembes-style icons if you like, but make sure the container is clear from the marking.
- Remove “respetuoso con el medio ambiente” and similar claims, and keep evidence for any recyclability or recycled content percentage.
- Use a QR code only where MITECO's conditions apply, with the sorting information on the first screen.
- Check who is the producer for the Spanish market and whether an authorised representative in Spain has been appointed.
Missing recycling symbols are something we find on almost every client's packaging. Our labelling check looks at your labels and packaging, including the sorting information for Spain, Italy and France.
Not sure whether your packaging meets the Spanish rules? Send your artwork through our contact page and tell us which markets you sell in.
Sources
- Real Decreto 1055/2022, de 27 de diciembre, de envases y residuos de envases, Articles 2, 13, 17, 21 and 54 and fifth final provision. BOE
- MITECO, interpretive note on the marking of packaging under Royal Decree 1055/2022, consolidated version of 10 March 2026. miteco.gob.es
- Ley 7/2022, de 8 de abril, de residuos y suelos contaminados para una economía circular, Articles 108 and 109. BOE
- Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2007 (General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users), Article 18(3). BOE
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR), Articles 12 and 45(3) and recital 123. EUR-Lex
- Envirotec, EU misses deadline for PPWR labelling rules, 19 August 2026. envirotecmagazine.com
