Saudi Arabia: New Packaging regulation

 

Saudi Arabia has published a new Technical Regulation for Packaging

It regulates, among others, Supplier Obligations, Labelling, Conformity Assessment Procedures, Responsibilities of Regulatory Authorities, Responsibilities of Market Surveillance Authorities, Violations and Penalties, General Provisions, Transitional Provisions, Publishing Appendix (lists of standards , HS code, List, the Identification System for Packaging Materials, Conformity Assessment Forms (Supplier Declaration of Conformity).

The technical regulation applies to all types of packaging products made of paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, wood, or metals or fabrics used in packaging, protecting, handling and displaying products.

The supplier must comply, among others, with the following requirements:

• Fulfilling the technical requirements contained in the relevant standard specifications listed in Appendix (1) of the Regulation (mostly based on ISO standards)
• Commit to conduct the conformity assessment required in this technical regulation.
• Provide information related to potential health, safety and environmental risks, in order to take preventive measures against all risks posed by relevant parties.
• Design the product in a way that does not violate the public and Islamic values and morals prevailing in the Kingdom.
• Design the product in a way that helps reuse and promotes recycling, provided that the nature of the material or material is clearly stated on the product.
• Providing information about the toxicity or danger of packaging materials and components used in their manufacture.
• The product or data card must have a numbering or marking indicating the nature of the material or materials used in its manufacture to facilitate reuse, recycling or collection mentioned in Appendix (2)
• Reduce the size and weight of the packaging when manufactured to the minimum sufficient to preserve the product without harming safety and health.
• Manufacture the product in a way that reduces (to a minimum) the presence of harmful substances or other dangerous substances (already present as components of the product or any of its parts) in emissions, ash, when burning or burying waste.

The full text of the regulation in Arabic can be found HERE.

To find out more about environment and packaging regulations, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.