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A field guide to packaging symbols
This page identifies the major marks found on packaging: what each asserts, who owns or governs it, the territory in which it is valid, and what it does not mean. Documented misreadings are recorded in that last column. Marks are grouped by the five families set out in What counts as a sustainable packaging label?. Every factual claim is sourced in the reference list. Where a commonly repeated fact could not be verified, the entry says so.
Structure of the entries
Asserts states what the mark’s own rules entitle it to convey, and no more. Does not mean records the misreading most commonly recorded for the mark in the sources cited. Valid is the territory in which the mark carries its intended legal or scheme meaning. Marks appear physically on multi-market packaging well beyond that territory.
Disposal and sortation marks
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How2Recycle — Widely Recyclable | ≥60% of Americans and ≥50% of Canadians can recycle the package through curbside or drop-off programs (How2Recycle, n.d.) | Sustainable Packaging Coalition (GreenBlue); program began 2008 | US, Canada | That any particular locality accepts it |
| How2Recycle — Check Locally | Below the 60%/50% access thresholds | As above | US, Canada | Non-recyclability — access varies |
| How2Recycle — Not Yet Recyclable | <20% access, or significant sortation, reprocessing or end-market challenges (How2Recycle, n.d.) | As above | US, Canada | That recycling is physically impossible |
| How2Recycle — Store Drop-off | US-only: PE film returnable to participating retail stores (How2Recycle, n.d.) | As above | US only | Curbside recyclability |
| OPRL — Recycle | ≥75% of UK local authorities collect this packaging type (OPRL, n.d.a) | OPRL Ltd, founded 2009 by BRC and FDF with WRAP; members-only | UK | Recyclability outside the UK |
| OPRL — Do Not Recycle | <50% of UK local authorities collect it (OPRL, n.d.a) | As above | UK | That the material is inherently unrecyclable |
| ARL — Recyclable | Can be placed in kerbside recycling (Australia/NZ), per PREP assessment (UNEP and Consumers International, 2021) | APCO, with Planet Ark and PREP Design | Australia, NZ | Global recyclability |
| ARL — Conditionally Recyclable | Recyclable only if the instruction beneath the symbol is followed (UNEP and Consumers International, 2021) | As above | Australia, NZ | Unconditional kerbside acceptance |
| Nordic / Eupicto pictograms | The waste stream an item belongs to; ~100 sorting pictograms, free for anyone to use (Eupicto, n.d.) | Eupicto association, Copenhagen; launched Denmark 2017, Sweden/Norway/Iceland 2020 | Nordic countries | Recyclability — these are sorting-routing marks |
| Triman | The product is subject to French sorting rules; must appear with Info-tri sorting instructions (Décret n° 2021-835, 2021) | French state; mandatory for household EPR products from 2022 | France | A recyclability verdict or certification |
Material identification marks
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resin codes ♳–♹ (1–7) | The polymer the article is made of, nothing more: "Resin Identification Codes are not 'recycle codes'" (ASTM International, n.d.) | ASTM D7611 (first issued 2010); system created by SPI, 1988; required by 36 US states (Plastics Industry Association, 2022) | US-mandated; used globally | Recyclability. The standard bars "recyclable" claims near the code |
| EU material codes (e.g. PAP 21, PET 1) | Material identity under the EU identification system (Decision 97/129/EC) | European Commission; voluntary at EU level, mandatory in Italy | EU | A recyclability or quality claim |
| Japanese プラ / PET / paper marks | Statutory material identification for sorting (METI, n.d.) | Japanese state, mandatory since April 2001; obligations on container manufacturers and importers | Japan | An environmental claim of any kind |
Certification marks
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedling | Certified industrially compostable to EN 13432; trademark owned by European Bioplastics, awarded via DIN CERTCO or TÜV Austria (European Bioplastics, n.d.) | European Bioplastics + certifiers | Europe-centred, used more widely | Home compostability; litter-safe degradation |
| OK compost INDUSTRIAL | Certified compostable in industrial facilities per EN 13432; use requires formal TÜV certification and a licensee code (TÜV Austria, 2024a; 2024b) | TÜV Austria (scheme created by Vinçotte, 1995) | Global scheme, EU-centred | Home compostability |
| OK compost HOME | Certified compostable at ambient temperatures; "may not be used to make a claim of (bio)degradation in the soil, (bio)degradation in water" (TÜV Austria, 2024a) | TÜV Austria | Global scheme | Marine or soil biodegradability |
| BPI Certified Compostable | Certified compostable in industrial facilities (North America); mark use requires an active certificate and licence (BPI, n.d.) | Biodegradable Products Institute | North America | Home compostability; backyard breakdown |
| FSC 100% / Mix / Recycled | Forest-material sourcing: fully certified forests / certified plus controlled material / recycled material respectively; use requires licence agreement, certificate and licence code (FSC, 2021) | Forest Stewardship Council | Global | Recyclability of the package — these are sourcing marks |
| PEFC Certified / Recycled | ≥70% certified forest material / recycled forest material; logo is PEFC's exclusive, internationally registered property (PEFC, n.d.) | PEFC | Global | A recycling instruction |
| EU Ecolabel (flower) | Award under Regulation (EC) 66/2010's multi-criteria scheme, via national competent bodies (Regulation (EC) 66/2010) | European Commission + member states | EU/EEA | A packaging-specific or recyclability claim |
| Blue Angel | Award under the world's first ecolabel, established 1978, first products 1979 (Blauer Engel, n.d.) | German federal environment ministry, UBA, RAL gGmbH | Germany | A packaging disposal instruction |
| Nordic Swan | Award under the Nordic Council of Ministers' 1989 ecolabel (Nordic Swan Ecolabel, n.d.) | Nordic Ecolabelling | Nordic countries | A packaging disposal instruction |
Performance and claim symbols
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobius loop (plain) | A self-declared recyclability claim: the loop "without a percentage value shall be taken to be a recyclable claim" (ISO, 1999, cl. 7.7.3.3) | ISO 14021 conditions its use; symbol itself is ownerless and royalty-free after an abandoned 1970s trademark application (Recycling symbol, 2026) | Global | Certification, or that local facilities exist. In the US, unqualified use requires ≥60% consumer access (16 CFR § 260.12); in California its use as a recyclability signifier is statutorily restricted (Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 42355.51) |
| Mobius loop with % | A recycled-content claim: the loop "accompanied by a percentage value stated as 'X %'" (ISO, 1999, cl. 7.8.3.2) | ISO 14021 | Global | A recyclability claim — the percentage changes what is claimed |
System-participation marks
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot | "A financial contribution has been paid to a nationally authorised take-back system" — "a financing symbol and not an environmental symbol" (PRO EUROPE, n.d.) | Trademark of DSD (registered 1990); PRO EUROPE general licensor outside Germany since 1995; protection claimed in ~170 countries | Europe (scheme countries) | Recyclability, recycled content, or any product property |
| DPG mark (Germany) | The container carries a refundable one-way deposit; printed in security ink read by reverse-vending machines; participation requires a DPG agreement (DPG, n.d.) | DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (est. 2005) | Germany | An environmental quality claim |
| Nordic pant marks | Deposit-system membership; in Sweden, beverage packaging must join an approved return system under ordinance 2022:1274, with marking per the operator's technical specification (Returpack, n.d.) | National system operators | Respective countries | An environmental quality claim |
| Tidyman | An anti-littering behavioural prompt; a registered trade mark of Keep Britain Tidy, licensed for UK use (Keep Britain Tidy, n.d.) | Keep Britain Tidy | UK (trademark) | Recyclability or any environmental property |
| Glass Hallmark | Membership of FEVE's voluntary scheme promoting glass packaging; free to use under a signed trademark licence (Glass Hallmark, n.d.) | FEVE (European Container Glass Federation) | Europe | A certification of a specific container |
A comparison mark from outside packaging
| Mark | Asserts | Governed by | Valid | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossed-out wheelie bin | Separate collection required for electrical and electronic equipment, marked per Directive 2012/19/EU, Annex IX; appears on packaging only exceptionally, where size or function prevents on-product marking (Directive 2012/19/EU, Art. 14(4)) | EU WEEE regime | EU | Anything about packaging — its presence near packaging marks is a frequent source of confusion |
Patterns across the families
Three regularities are visible across the tables above that no single entry displays on its own.
First, a single misreading recurs throughout the "does not mean" column: marks that assert something other than recyclability are read as assertions of recyclability. Material codes, financing symbols, sourcing certifications and litter prompts are each read by consumers as members of the recycling family. For resin codes that pattern is documented by the US National Academies, which found chasing-arrows codes "significant causes of consumer uncertainty and misunderstanding" (National Academies, 2025).
Second, the thresholds underlying marks of similar appearance differ deliberately rather than accidentally, each being derived from the regime in which the mark operates. How2Recycle's 60 per cent access test derives from the US federal condition for an unqualified recyclable claim (16 CFR § 260.12); OPRL's 75 per cent collection test measures collection by British local authorities. The same package can accordingly carry different verdicts in different markets without either verdict being inaccurate.
Third, ownership determines the availability of enforcement. Marks with proprietors, whether certification marks or trademarks, carry meanings their owners police and provide identified routes of action against misuse; the ownerless Mobius loop has instead been constrained by statute, and the conditions on its use are set by the federal guidance and state legislation recorded in the table above.
References
ASTM International (n.d.) ASTM D7611/D7611M: Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) (n.d.) Using the BPI mark. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Blauer Engel (n.d.) Ecolabel history. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 42355.51. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Commission Decision 97/129/EC establishing the identification system for packaging materials. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Décret n° 2021-835 du 29 juin 2021. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
DPG (Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH) (n.d.) About DPG and Beverage manufacturers and importers. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Eupicto (n.d.) About the pictogram system. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
European Bioplastics (n.d.) Guidelines for the use of the Seedling logo. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
FSC (2021) FSC-STD-50-001 V2-1. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Glass Hallmark (n.d.) Use the Hallmark. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
How2Recycle (n.d.) How2Recycle labels and About. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
International Organization for Standardization (1999) ISO 14021:1999 Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims. Geneva: ISO.
Keep Britain Tidy (n.d.) Brand licensing. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
METI (n.d.) Identification marks on containers and packaging [pamphlet]. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2025) Municipal Solid Waste Recycling in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/27978.
Nordic Swan Ecolabel (n.d.) The Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
OPRL (n.d.a) How the scheme works. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
PEFC (n.d.) Use the PEFC label. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Plastics Industry Association (2022) State Resin Identification Regulation Survey, May. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
PRO EUROPE (n.d.) The Green Dot trademark. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Recycling symbol (2026) Wikipedia. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Returpack (n.d.) Sign up to the Swedish deposit system. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
TÜV Austria (2024a) CS-OK02: Certification scheme, OK compost HOME. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
TÜV Austria (2024b) ID-138: Graphical chart for the use of logos. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
UNEP and Consumers International (2021) Australasian Recycling Label case study. Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
16 CFR § 260.12 (Recyclable claims). Available at: Open source (Accessed: 17 August 2026).
Note on sources and verification
ISO 14021 clause numbers are cited to the 1999 edition, whose text was publicly retrievable; later editions may renumber them. The Mobius loop's public-domain status rests on secondary history (Jones and Powell, 1999, as summarised in the cited encyclopedia article). Trademark-registration statements for the ARL and OPRL marks specifically could not be retrieved and are not asserted; both schemes are described only as membership/licence-controlled. The ASTM standard's shift from chasing arrows to a solid triangle is documented in ASTM's own commentary but the change's exact edition could not be confirmed in the searches conducted for this page. California's § 42355.51 is under a preliminary federal injunction as of July 2026; the statutory text remains as cited.
Last verified: 17 August 2026.