The objectives of this Directive are to ensure a high level of environmental protection and the reduction of waste. The provisions aim at harmonizing national measures concerning the management of packaging and packaging waste so as to prevent any impact thereof on the environment of all Member States as well as of third countries, or to reduce such impact. To this end the Directive lays down measures aimed, as a first priority, at preventing the production of packaging waste and, as additional fundamental principles, at reusing packaging, at recycling and other forms of recovering packaging waste and, therefore, at reducing the final disposal of such waste. All packaging placed on the market in the Community and all packaging waste, whether it is used or released at industrial, commercial, office, shop, service, household or any other level, regardless of the material used, is covered by these provisions. Article 12 regards the establishment of databases and information systems relating to packaging and packaging waste. The following three Annexes are attached: (I) Identification system; (II) Essential requirements on the composition and the reusable and recoverable, including recyclable, nature of packaging; (III) Data to be included by Member States in their databases on packaging and packaging waste.