EU Ecolabel Criteria for printed paper, stationery paper, and paper carrier bag products

This Technical Report presents the EU Ecolabel criteria for Printed paper, stationery paper, and paper carrier bag products, as published in Commission Decision (EU) 2020/1803 of 27 November 2020, and provides the supporting rationale and background research for each criterion. The final criteria are the result of a broad consultation including interaction at two Ad-Hoc Working Group meetings, discussions with specialised stakeholders within the technical subgroup for recyclability aspects as well as dialogue with Commission colleagues and EU Ecolabel Board members.The main criteria are split into the following: • Substrate sourcing (requring the use of EU Ecolabel substrate).• Recyclability that targets product circularity.• Emissions to water and air.• Waste management and quantity of paper for recycling from the manufacturing process.• Energy use addressed by means of an energy management system.• Hazardous substances (horizontal restrictions for SVHCs and substances with certain CLP classifications plus specific restrictions in defined circumstances for biocidal products and biocidal active substances, cleaning agents, APEOs, halogenated solvents and phthalates, printing inks, toners and varnishes, and toluene recovery from rotogravure printing). Decision (EU) 2020/1803 effectively merges revised criteria from two different Commission Decisions: EU Ecolabel criteria for converted paper products (2014/256/EU) and EU Ecolabel criteria for printed paper products (2012/481/EU). Commission Decision 2020/1803 establishes EU Ecolabel criteria for a new, combined product group: Printed paper, stationery paper, and paper carrier bag products. This report consists of the following sections:• Introduction, outlining the purpose of the report and a brief summary of the Preliminary Report, linking the environmental hotspots of the criteria proposed in this document.• Product group specifications, including product group name, definition and scope, and other general indications related to this EU Ecolabel, such as application specification, general assessment and verification terms.• EU Ecolabel criteria for printed paper, stationery paper, and paper carrier bag products with the supporting rationale.• Main changes to criteria compared to previous criteria versions.