SIST EN 18120-8:2026

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2026
Embalaža - Načrtovanje za recikliranje plastične embalaže - 8. del: Smernica za
plastično embalažo iz polistirena (PS) in ekstrudiranega polistirena (XPS)
Packaging - Design for recycling of plastic packaging - Part 8: Guideline for PS and XPS
rigid packaging
Verpackung - Recyclingorientierte Gestaltung von Kunststoffverpackungsprodukten - Teil
8: Leitfaden und Protokolle für starren Verpackungen aus PS
Emballages - Conception des emballages plastiques en vue de leur recyclage - Partie 8 :
Lignes directrices pour les emballages rigides en PS et XPS
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 18120-8:2026
ICS:
13.030.50 Recikliranje Recycling
55.020 Pakiranje in distribucija blaga Packaging and distribution of
na splošno goods in general
83.080.20 Plastomeri Thermoplastic materials
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 18120-8
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
April 2026
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.030.50; 55.020
English Version
Packaging - Design for recycling of plastic packaging - Part
8: Guideline for PS and XPS rigid packaging
Emballages - Conception des emballages plastiques en Verpackung - Recyclingorientierte Gestaltung von
vue de leur recyclage - Partie 8 : Lignes directrices Kunststoffverpackungsprodukten - Teil 8: Leitfaden
pour les emballages rigides en PS et XPS und Protokolle für starren Verpackungen aus PS
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 9 February 2026.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 18120-8:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Design compatibility of PS and XPS packaging with recycling . 6
4.1 General characteristics . 6
4.2 Sortability . 8
4.3 Design guidelines summary table . 8
Bibliography . 16

European foreword
This document (EN 18120-8:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 261
“Packaging”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by October 2026, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by October 2026.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
Introduction
The EN 18120 series, under the general title Packaging — Design for recycling of plastic packaging,
which aims via a series of guidelines and protocols to establish consistency and improvement for the
design for recycling of household, industrial and commercial plastic packaging, consists of the following
parts:
— Part 1: Definitions and principles for design-for-recycling of plastic packaging
— Part 3: Evaluation processes for the sortability of plastic packaging
— Part 4: Guideline for PET bottles
— Part 5: Guideline for PET rigid packaging (except bottles)
— Part 6: Guideline for PE and PP rigid packaging
— Part 7: Guideline for PE and PP flexible packaging
— Part 8: Guideline for PS and XPS rigid packaging
— Part 9: Guideline for EPS packaging
— Part 10: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PET bottles
— Part 11: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PET rigid packaging
(except bottles)
— Part 12: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PE and PP rigid
packaging
— Part 13: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PE and PP flexible
packaging
— Part 14: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PS and XPS rigid
packaging
— Part 15: Recyclability evaluation process for plastic packaging — Protocols for EPS packaging
Design for recycling guidelines are a common way of evaluating the compatibility with plastic-
packaging collection, sorting and recycling which enables the use of secondary raw materials that are
of sufficient quality when compared to the original material, in state-of-the-art facilities.
They provide guidance on the level of compatibility, defined as:
— green: packaging constituents and components with full compatibility with state-of-the-art
collection, sorting and recycling;
— yellow: packaging constituents and components with limited compatibility with state-of-the-art
collection, sorting and recycling;
— red: packaging constituents and components which are not compatible with state-of-the-art
collection, sorting and recycling.
The design for recycling guidelines provided in the EN 18120 series cover the design for recycling based
on the knowledge available at the time of the development of this document and are representative of
the state-of-the-art. They consider packaging waste collection, sorting and recycling, so that the
recycled plastic can substitute primary raw materials in packaging application or other applications.
Compliance with the design guidelines in the EN 18120 series does not guarantee that the recycled
plastic quality will be fit for purpose for a specific targeted end application or compliant with applicable
regulations.
Packaging recyclability is the combination of design of recycling, proven collection, sorting and
recycling in practice.
1 Scope
This document covers the design of any rigid packaging with the main body of the packaging unit
predominantly made of PS or XPS and the design of separate components predominantly made of rigid
PS or XPS with respect to compatibility of the design with state-of-the-art collecting, sorting and
recycling processes and useability of the recyclates in an application.
Packaging constituents and packaging components made of other materials than PS and XPS are also
covered by this document as they need to be evaluated on compatibility with PS or XPS polymer
recycling.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 18120-1, Packaging — Design for recycling of plastic packaging — Part 1: Definitions and principles
for design-for-recycling of plastic packaging
EN 18120-3, Packaging — Design for recycling of plastic packaging — Part 3: Evaluation processes for
the sortability of plastic packaging
EN 18120-14, Packaging — Design for recycling of plastic packaging — Part 14: Recyclability evaluation
process for plastic packaging — Protocols for PS and XPS rigid packaging
EuPIA, Exclusion Policy for Printing Inks and Related Products
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 18120-1 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
4 Design compatibility of PS and XPS packaging with recycling
4.1 General characteristics
To determine the recyclability of the design of a PS and XPS packaging, the following guidance tables
shall be consulted in conjunction with
— the methodology provided in EN 18120-14;
— the definitions provided in EN 18120-1.
The tables provide combined design guidance for all considered material recycling processes. This
document considers recycling of PS and XPS rigid packaging as state-of-the-art recycling technologies.
It considers the outlets described in Table 1 as state-of-the-art.

Available at https://www.eupia.org/our-commitment/eupia-exclusion-policy-for-printing-inks-and-related-
products/
Table 1 — Outlets for recyclates considered state-of-the-art in this document
Packaging type Recycling technology State-of-the-art outlet for
mechanical recycling
PS Household Depolymerization and rPS for packaging (contact
mechanical sensitive application)
PS Industrial Mechanical Production of PS industrial
packaging
XPS Household Mechanical Insulation panel or rPS for
packaging (contact sensitive
application)
The design guidance provided in this document covers:
a) main packaging components which constitute PS or XPS rigid packaging, with all their integrated
components and all constituents, including those which are removed during the recycling process
and
b) separate components of other types of packaging which constitute PS or XPS rigid materials, with
all their constituents, including those which are removed during the recycling process.
It does not apply to other types of separate components (which are already separated before and during
the sorting process) as per the definitions of EN 18120-1 and as determined according to EN 18120-3.
Separate components are to be evaluated separately, as described in EN 18120-1. As such, a separate
component can be fully compatible with recycling even when an integrated component or a constituent
of the same specification would only have limited or no compatibility with recycling according to the
guidance in this document. Equally, separate components can be not compatible with recycling even
when an integrated component would be compatible.
For industrial packaging that have a dedicated separate collection system, a manual separation might
occur. The separated component is then not to be considered in this document.
Besides the main packaging body made from PS or XPS, closures, labels, and sleeves (including inks used
and varnishes) along with adhesives are indispensable since they play an essential role in providing
information to consumers required by law such as nutritional information, health and safety warnings,
manufacturers address and recycling information as well as barcodes and branding.
Full body sleeves, coloured packaging and/or additives and barrier layers can also be necessary to
protect the packaged product, e.g. from UV radiation or to increase shelf life considerably. The functions
of these mentioned components or constituents need to be considered
...