Eco-friendly packaging

Compliance Scenarios for Four Types of Plastic Packaging Materials: PET/PVC/PP/PE—Printers Most Commonly Run into Trouble with Phthalates in PVC

📅 2026-09-18 ✍️ Wuxi Lexiang Printing & Packaging ⏱ 3min read

💡 💡 At a Glance

A customer manufactures PVC packaging bags for children's toys for export. After being selected for inspection by German customs, the bags were found to exceed the DEHP limit by 8 times, resulting in the destruction of the entire batch of 20000 bags. This article details the compliance boundaries of 4 types of plastic packaging materials—PET, PVC, PP, and PE—in 4 application scenarios: food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and toys. Printers are most likely to run into trouble with the phthalate limits for PVC (DEHP/DBP)—the EU limit is 0.1%, and mandatory requirements are now also beginning to apply domestically to food packaging.

In September 2024, a customer exporting children's toys received a return shipment. The customer's original statement:

“We make PVC packaging bags for children’s toys. When our shipment was randomly inspected by German customs, the DEHP content exceeded the limit by 8 times—the German limit is 0.1%, while the tested value for this batch was 0.8%. All 20000 bags in the batch were destroyed, resulting in a loss of 80000 yuan.”

This is a genuine regulatory minefield. Before accepting orders for plastic packaging, printing plants must clarify the compliance boundaries for 4 types of materials across 4 types of applications.

Type I material: PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

Properties: Transparent, good stiffness, and temperature resistant from -40°C to 70°C. Common uses: beverage bottles, cosmetic bottles, and food container covers.

Compliance scenarios:

  • Food-contact scenarios: GB 4806.7 Standard for Plastic Resins for Food Contact; PET is permitted in China, the EU, and the United States, with a migration limit of 10 mg/dm²
  • Cosmetics applications: Under EU EC 1223/2009, PET is permitted in all cosmetic packaging
  • Toy applications: ASTM F963, EN 71-3; PET contains no phthalates and can be used for children's toy packaging

    • Attention printing plants: PET has high transparency and therefore places strict demands on inks. Ordinary UV inks tend to delaminate on PET, so PET-specific UV inks or water-based inks are recommended. Our printing plant has encountered 3 cases of UV ink delamination on PET. After switching to PET-specific UV ink, the pass rate reached 100%.

    PET also has an easily overlooked characteristic: crystallinity. PET with a crystallinity above 30% is highly transparent, whereas PET with a crystallinity below 30% tends to be milky white. When printers purchase raw materials, they should confirm the transparency grade required by the customer.

    Type 2 Material: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

    Properties: Transparent, flexible, and heat-sealable. Common uses: Toy packaging, food cling film, cosmetic tubes, and bank cards.

    Compliance scenarios (where printing plants are most likely to run into trouble):

  • Food applications (prohibited in the EU): Since 2020, the EU has prohibited the use of PVC in food-contact materials (EU 10/2011 does not include PVC in its positive list)
  • Food applications (permitted in China but subject to limits): GB 4806.7 permits the use of PVC for food contact, provided that the migration of vinyl chloride monomer must be <1 mg/kg
  • Children's toys (strict global restrictions): EU REACH regulations restrict the total content of phthalates DEHP/DBP/BBP in PVC to <0.1%, and US CPSIA imposes similar restrictions
  • Cosmetics applications (permitted in China): PVC is not restricted for cosmetics packaging in China, but the EU is beginning to tighten restrictions progressively

    • Printer Iron Rule: Before accepting a PVC order, you must ask the customer 4 questions:

  • Product sales destination (EU/United States/China/Japan)
  • Product category (food/cosmetics/toys/other)
  • Whether a third-party test report is required
  • Suppliers and grades of PVC raw materials (the phthalate content varies significantly between grades)

    • Our printing plant declined 2 PVC orders in 2024: one was for children's toys destined for export, and the raw material supplier's product grades contained DEHP; the other was for food packaging destined for the European Union. If we had accepted these two orders, the losses would have exceeded 500,000.

    Type 3 Material: PP (Polypropylene)

    Properties: Temperature resistance from -20°C to 120°C, translucent, and good rigidity. Common applications: food containers, cosmetic bottle caps, pharmaceutical packaging, and drinking straws.

    Compliance scenarios:

  • Food applications: GB 4806.7 permits the use of PP for food contact and microwave heating
  • Pharmaceutical applications: PP is the mainstream material for pharmaceutical packaging, with dedicated standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 Edition and USP Class VI
  • Cosmetics Applications: PP is permitted in all cosmetics packaging
  • EU exports: PP is on the EU 10/2011 positive list, with an overall migration limit of 10 mg/dm²

    • Printer’s attention: PP has low surface energy, and ink adhesion is poorer than on PET. We recommend corona treatment before printing (corona strength ≥38 dynes). Our printing plant uses inline corona treatment, with a corona strength of 38-42 dynes, reducing the PP printing delamination rate from 8% to below 1%.

    PP is also divided into homopolymer PP and copolymer PP. Homopolymer PP has poor transparency but good stiffness, making it suitable for bottle caps; copolymer PP has good transparency but poor stiffness, making it suitable for film. When a printing plant purchases raw materials, it should clarify with the customer which type of PP is required.

    Type 4 Material: PE (Polyethylene)

    Properties: Soft, moisture-resistant, and easy to heat-seal. Common applications: Food bags, cling film, personal care product bottles, and pipes.

    Compliance scenarios:

  • Food-contact applications: PE is permitted for food contact in China, the EU, and the United States, with a migration limit of 10 mg/dm²
  • Cosmetics applications: PE is permitted in all cosmetics packaging
  • Environmental scenarios: PE takes 100-500 years to degrade in the natural environment (based on actual laboratory data), so claims of "degradability" should be made cautiously

    • PE is divided into LDPE (low density, soft), HDPE (high density, good stiffness), and MDPE (medium density). The printing plant must clarify which type of PE the customer requires when accepting an order.

    PE is most likely to cause problems in this scenario: A customer purchases PE bags for food packaging, only to find that the bag’s inner layer is made from recycled PE, which is not permitted for food contact in either the European Union or China. Our printing plant requires proof of food-grade raw materials (FDA or EFSA certification) for all PE food packaging orders.

    4 Iron Rules for Printing Factories Taking on Plastic Packaging Orders

  • Ask where the product is sold: The EU bans PVC for food contact, the US restricts PVC toys, and China permits PVC but imposes limits
  • Clarify the product category: The compliance requirements for food, cosmetics, toys, and pharmaceuticals vary significantly
  • Third-party Inspection Report: Clariant-Check or SGS reports must be requested for export orders
  • Special PVC Approval: PVC orders must be verified against the raw material supplier’s compliance certificates; otherwise, we will not accept them.

    • 3 Common Misconceptions About Plastic Packaging Compliance

  • Misconception 1: Biodegradable = environmentally friendly. PLA food containers can take up to 80 years to decompose in natural environments (actual laboratory data), while PE takes 100-500 years. Biodegradability does not necessarily mean being environmentally friendly; the degradation conditions must be considered
  • Misconception 2: Recyclable = environmentally friendly. Recyclable does not mean actually recycled—the plastic recycling rate in China is below 30%, and most PE/PET ends up in landfills
  • Misconception 3: FDA certification = global acceptance. FDA is the U.S. standard, the EU uses EFSA, and China uses GB. Even if a customer purchases FDA-certified plastic, the EU may not recognize it

    • Further Reading

  • How Is Migration from Plastic Packaging Calculated? 4 Common Migration Tests + Which One Food, Cosmetics, and Toy Companies Should Test
  • Are Plastic Packages Eco-Friendly? Distinguishing the Authenticity of Data on 3 Types of Degradability: PLA Food Containers Have Not Fully Decomposed After 80 Years / PBAT Can Only Be Composted / Recycled Plastic Is Downcycled
  • Metal Packaging vs. Plastic Packaging: A Food Safety Comparison of 3 Types—Cans / Aluminum-Plated / Composite Bags—Where Printing Plants Most Commonly Get Stuck: Free Phenol in Aluminum-Plated Adhesive
    • #PET #PVC #PP #PE

    FAQ

    Can PVC packaging be used for food contact?

    Permitted in China (GB 4806.7), but vinyl chloride monomer migration must be &lt;1 mg/kg. The EU has banned PVC from food contact since 2020. Printers must clarify the destination before taking export orders.

    Which is more suitable for food packaging, PET or PP?

    Depends on the scenario. PET has high transparency and suits beverage bottles and cosmetic outer covers; PP has high temperature resistance and suits microwave food boxes and bottle caps. Both materials are compliant.

    What are the hazards of exceeding phthalate (DEHP) limits?

    DEHP is an endocrine disruptor, and long-term exposure affects the reproductive system. The EU limit is 0.1%, and exceeding it leads to destruction. Printers making children's toy packaging must use PVC without DEHP or switch to PET/PE.

    Is PE really eco-friendly?

    PE is recyclable (recycling codes 02/04), but not biodegradable. Laboratory data shows PE takes 100-500 years to decompose in the natural environment. Be rigorous with eco-friendly claims—do not say PE is biodegradable.

    How to handle ink delamination on plastic packaging?

    Plastic surface energy is low (PP/PE surface energy 30-32 mN/m), so corona treatment (≥38 dyne) is needed before printing. If delamination has already occurred, reprint with PP/PE-specific ink, or switch to PET-specific UV ink.

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