(1)

Commission Decision 2012/481/EU (2) excludes board substrates above 400 g/m2 from the scope, as that Decision requires that printed paper products are printed only on paper bearing the EU Ecolabel as established in Commission Decision 2011/333/EU (3) or in Commission Decision 2012/448/EU (4). However, certain product categories, such as pads, notebooks, exercise books, spiral-bound notebooks and calendars with covers, included in the scope of Decision 2012/481/EU, entail the use of paperboard substrates which exceed 400 g/m2. Therefore, the implementation of the criteria for certain products has been impossible.

(2)

The scope of Commission Decision 2014/256/EU (5) includes stationery paper products that consist of at least 70 % by weight of paper, paperboard or paper-based substrates and establishes requirements for board substrates with a basis weight higher than 400 g/m2.

(3)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010.

(4)

Decision 2012/481/EU should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

in Article 1, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

(2)

in paragraph 3 of Article 1, point (c) is replaced by the following:

(3)

in Article 2, point (1) is replaced by the following:

(4)

in Article 2, point (9) is replaced by the following:

(5)

Criterion 3 in Annex to Decision 2012/481/EU is amended:

‘Criterion 3 — Recyclability

The printed paper product shall be recyclable. The printed paper shall be de-inkable and the non-paper components of the printed paper product shall be easily removable to ensure that those components will not hinder the recycling process.

Assessment and verification: the applicant shall provide the test result of the recyclability for wet strength agents and removability for adhesives. The reference test methods are PTS method PTS-RH 021/97 (for wet strength agents), INGEDE Method 12 (for non-soluble adhesive removability), or equivalent test methods. The de-inkability shall be proven by using the “Deinking Scorecard”  (*1) of the European Recovered Paper Council or equivalent test methods. Testing shall be performed on three types of paper: uncoated, coated and surface-sized paper. If a type of printing ink is only sold for one or two specific types of paper, it is sufficient to test the paper type(s) in question. The applicant shall provide a declaration that coated and laminated printed paper products are in compliance with point 3(c). Where a part of a printed paper product is easily removable (for instance a plastic cover), the recyclability test may be made without this component. The easiness of removal of the non-paper components shall be proven via a declaration of the paper collecting company, the recycling company or an equivalent organisation. Test methods shown by a competent and independent third party as giving equivalent results may also be used.

(*1)  Assessment of Print Product Recyclability — Deinkability Score — User's Manual, www.paperrecovery.org, “Publications”.’ "