What Article 10 requires
Two paragraphs, two dates. Article 10(2) applies from general application: packaging must meet the Annex IV criteria, and features whose only purpose is to inflate perceived volume (double walls, false bottoms, non-essential layers) are banned — since the guidance, marketing or consumer acceptability no longer justifies oversizing. Article 10(1) — reduction to the minimum weight and volume — applies from 1 January 2030; until then the guidance keeps EN 13428:2004 as the designated yardstick for sales packaging, no harmonised PPWR standard having been published. Article 10(4) carries the supporting technical documentation for both, through Annex VII.
When Article 10 applies
One line per dated paragraph. Applies — the date has passed. Firm — written in the regulation, nothing in the pipeline can push it back. Conditional — a floor: the obligation starts on that date, or a set number of months after the act it waits on enters into force, whichever is later.
| Paragraph | Date | What starts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 10(2) | Annex IV criteria and the ban on perceived-volume features | Applies | |
| Art. 10(1) | reduction to the minimum weight and volume | Firm |
Annexes Article 10 calls
Annex IV — Methodology for assessing packaging minimisation. Catalogue of performance criteria the harmonised minimisation standard must operationalise — protection, manufacturing process, logistics, regulatory, hygiene. Marketing and consumer acceptability no longer justify oversizing under the guidance. Whether the Article 24 empty-space formula sits in this annex is not confirmed. Text on EUR-Lex
Annex VII — Technical documentation. Content and structure of the technical documentation a manufacturer draws up. The conformity-assessment PROCEDURE is Article 38, not this annex, and the declaration template is Annex VIII — the three are routinely conflated. Text on EUR-Lex
Related articles
Read the text
Article 10 on EUR-Lex · Regulation (EU) 2025/40, full text
Legal review of 2026-09-02
Each date above is a literal read from the regulation or the Commission guidance, never derived by arithmetic from entry into force. A date present in the reference with no entry in the catalogue fails our build.