(14)Packaging should be placed on the market only if it complies with the sustainability requirements and labelling requirements laid down in or pursuant to this Regulation. Packaging should be considered to have been placed on the market when the packaging is made available for the first time on the Union market, which means supplied by the manufacturer or importer for distribution, consumption or use in the course of a commercial activity, whether in return for payment or free of charge. Thus, packaging already placed on the Union market before the date of application of relevant requirements and in the stocks of distributors, including retailers and wholesalers, should not need to meet the sustainability and labelling requirements laid down in or pursuant to this Regulation.