Updated 05/02/2025
No longer in force since 30/11/2020

Version from: 23/10/2018
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Article 2 - Decision 2012/481/EU

Article 2

For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) Books’ means yarn-bound and/or glue-bound printed paper products with hard or soft covers, such as school books, fiction or non-fiction books, reports, handbooks and paperbacks. ‘Books’ do not include journals, brochures, magazines, catalogues published on a regular basis and annual reports.

(2) Consumables’ means chemical products used during the printing, coating and finishing processes and capable of being consumed, destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. Consumables include products such as printing inks and dyes, toners, overprinting varnishes, varnishes, adhesives, washing agents and damping solutions.

(3) Folder’ means a folding case or cover for loose papers. Folders include products such as indices dividers, document wallets, square cut folders, suspension files, cardboard boxes and 3-flap folders.

(4) Halogenated organic solvent’ means an organic solvent which contains at least one atom of bromine, chlorine, fluorine or iodine per molecule.

(5) An ‘insert’ means an extra leaf or section, printed independently from the printed paper product which is either placed within the pages of a printed paper product and may be removed (loose insert) or bound into the pages of the printed paper product and thus form an integral part thereof (fixed insert). Inserts include multipage advertisements, booklets, brochures, reply cards, or other promotional materials.

(6) Newspapers’ means a publication issued daily or weekly containing news and printed on newsprint paper grade that is made from pulp and/or recovered paper, the weight of which ranges between 40 and 65 g/m2.

(7) Non-paper components’ means all the parts of a printed paper product that do not consist of paper, paperboard or paper based substrates.

(8) Packaging’ means all products made of any materials of any nature to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods, from raw materials to processed goods, from the producer to the user or the consumer.

(9) A ‘printed paper product’ means the product resulting from the processing of a printing material. The processing consists of printing onto paper. In addition to printing, the processing may include finishing, for example folding, stamping and cutting or assembling, using glue, binding, yarn-binding. Printed paper products include newspapers, advertising materials and news-sheets, journals, catalogues, books, leaflets, brochures, posters, business cards and labels.

(10) Printing’ (or printing process) means a process whereby a printing material is processed into a printed paper product. Printing includes pre-press, press, and post-press operations.

(11) Recycling’ means any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original purpose or other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material but does not include energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations.

(12) VOC’ (Volatile Organic Compounds) means any organic compound as well as the fraction of creosote, having at 293,15 K a vapour pressure of 0,01 kPa or more, or having a corresponding volatility under the particular conditions of use.

(13) Washing agents’ (also sometimes known as cleaning agents or cleaners) means the following: (a) liquid chemicals used to wash printing forms, both separate (off-press) and integrated (in-press), and printing presses to remove printing inks, paper dust and similar products; (b) cleaners for finishing machines and printing machines, such as cleaners to remove adhesive and varnish residues; (c) printing inks removers used in washing off dried printing inks. Washing agents do not include cleaning agents for cleaning other parts of the printing machine or for cleaning other machines than printing machines and finishing machines.

(14) Waste paper’ means paper generated during printing and finishing processes, or while shaving or cutting paper or during starting runs in the print workshop and the bindery, which does not form part of the finished printed paper product.