PPWR – PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE REGULATION
The amount of packaging waste in Europe is growing at an alarming rate (almost 180 kg per person per year) and, without intervention, it would keep rising up to 2030. A lot of packaging can be neither recycled nor reused, little recycled material goes into its production, and consumers lack clear labelling for sorting.
The new regulation, which entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies from 12 August 2026, aims to minimise these negative environmental impacts.
Timeline
The PPWR brings a whole range of new obligations and rules into practice, and they will not all take effect at once. The individual changes will be phased in according to set deadlines and may differ depending on the type of packaging and the group of entities concerned.
The timeline offers an overview of the most important legislative, regulatory and administrative milestones. It helps you get your bearings quickly in the obligations arising during the gradual implementation. Keeping track of the key dates helps avoid unexpected complications and ensures that all the new statutory obligations are met smoothly and on time.
Because the PPWR implementation schedule is extensive and keeps evolving, the timeline serves as a practical aid for basic orientation. Its purpose is to make planning the necessary steps easier and to support timely compliance. You will find more information in the Detailed timeline.
Key provisions:
- Mandatory recycling compatibility of packaging – Companies must ensure that their packaging is fully recyclable by 2030, which requires changes in packaging design and material selection.
- Obligation to reduce packaging waste by minimising volume – Packaging must be designed so that its weight and volume are minimised without reducing its functionality.
- Strengthened labelling and information obligations – New labelling and information requirements will ensure transparency of packaging materials. Companies must label their packaging appropriately.
- Support for reusable packaging – The regulation sets targets for reusable packaging, urging companies to develop and roll out reusable packaging solutions in order to reduce waste.
- Financial contributions towards recycling costs – The regulation also sets out a financial obligation for producers and entities under extended producer responsibility. Companies must contribute more towards the costs of collection, sorting and recycling. Contributions will be based on the quantity placed on the market, recyclability and the environmental impact of the packaging used (eco-modulation). From 2030, plastic packaging must contain a minimum amount of recycled material, in order to promote the use of recyclates and reduce the consumption of primary raw materials.
- Transparency and reporting requirements – Companies must provide detailed information about the packaging they use and how it is disposed of. This calls for new approaches to internal data collection and reporting.
Requirements for substances in packaging
Packaging placed on the market must be manufactured in such a way as to minimise the presence and concentration of substances of concern. Besides the constituents of the packaging material, this also applies to any component of the packaging. At the same time, their presence in emissions and in any waste management output is minimised as well. Such outputs include secondary raw materials, ash or other material for final disposal. Another reason is the effort to limit the adverse environmental impact caused by microplastics.
The regulation prohibits food-contact packaging if it contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at or above the established threshold values.
All packaging must be recyclable by 2030
A key measure of the regulation – from 1 January 2030, all packaging, regardless of the materials used (cardboard, paper, plastic, etc.), must be specifically designed so that it can be recycled.
For packaging to be considered recyclable under the regulation, it must meet the following criteria:
- The packaging must be designed so that it can be recycled.
- The packaging should be collected separately, effectively and efficiently.
- The packaging must be directed into a precisely defined waste stream without compromising the recyclability of other waste streams.
- The packaging should be recyclable to such an extent that the resulting secondary raw materials are of sufficient quality to replace primary raw materials.
- The packaging must be capable of being recycled at scale.
The recyclability of packaging is expressed in recyclability performance grades A, B and C.
From 2038, packaging falling into performance grade C will no longer be categorised as recyclable.
Mandatory incorporation of recycled materials into plastic packaging
From 1 January 2030, plastic packaging or plastic components of packaging must contain a minimum percentage of recycled material recovered from plastic waste.
- 30 % for contact-sensitive packaging made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the main component,
- 10 % for contact-sensitive packaging made of plastic materials other than PET, except single-use plastic beverage bottles,
- 30 % for single-use plastic beverage bottles,
- 35 % for plastic packaging other than that listed above.
From 2040, the minimum percentage of recycled content recovered from plastic waste rises in the categories listed above to 50 %, 25 %, 65 %, 65 %.
Compostable packaging
One of the main requirements of the regulation is to design packaging for recycling, but there are a few exceptions where compostability is required instead:
- adhesive labels attached to fruit and vegetables,
- permeable tea, coffee or other beverage bags, and
- single-use capsules containing tea, coffee or another beverage (the capsule softens after use and is intended to be used and discarded together with the product).
By 2028 these must comply with the standards for composting under industrially controlled conditions defined by the policy of the regulation.
Minimising the weight and volume of packaging
This measure focuses on reducing the weight and volume of packaging in order to prevent excessive packaging and eliminate unnecessary empty space. The weight and volume of packaging should be minimised while ensuring that the safety and functionality of the packaging are taken into account.
Packaging intended solely to increase the perceived volume of a product is prohibited, for example:
- double walls,
- false bottoms, or
- unnecessary layers.
Compliance with this requirement must be confirmed by technical documentation. From 1 January 2030, grouped packaging, transport packaging and e-commerce packaging must comply with a maximum empty space ratio of 50 %. Spaces filled with materials such as paper cuttings, air cushions, bubble wrap or other filling materials are categorised as empty space.
Reuse of packaging
Promoting the reuse of packaging means promoting the circular economy. For packaging to qualify as reusable, it must be deliberately designed, manufactured and placed on the market with the clear aim of multiple use (or refilling) for a purpose similar to its original design.
Responsibility for planning and organising reuse lies with the producer, who is also obliged to inform the end consumer about the reuse options for the particular packaging.
Reusable packaging will have to be marked with a label informing users that it can be reused. In addition, it must carry a visible and permanent QR code (or alternative digital support) providing more detailed information about reuse options, such as facilitating tracking of the packaging and calculating trips and rotations or, where such a calculation is not possible, an average estimate.
Final distributors making alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in sales packaging available to consumers in the territory of a Member State must ensure that at least 10 % of those products are made available in packaging that is reusable within a reuse system (40 % in 2040).
Information about the material composition of packaging
Packaging (including e-commerce packaging, but not transport packaging or packaging that is part of a deposit and return system) will have to carry harmonised labelling stating its material composition, so that consumers find it easier to sort packaging waste.
These labelling requirements will be accompanied by harmonised labelling of packaging waste collection containers, the form of which is not yet known. Several EU countries already use their own markings today.
Prohibited packaging formats
The following packaging formats will be prohibited from 1 January 2030:
- Single-use plastic packaging used at the point of sale to group goods sold in bottles, cans, tins, pots, tubes and packs designed as convenience packaging that enables or encourages consumers to buy more than one product, e.g. collation films or shrink wrap. The ban does not apply to grouped packaging needed to facilitate handling.
- Single-use plastic packaging for pre-packed fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg, e.g. nets, bags, trays, containers.
- Single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages filled and consumed in hotels, restaurants and cafés and similar establishments (the HORECA sector), as well as single-use plastic packaging containing individual portions of condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning in the HORECA sector.
- A material-neutral ban on all single-use packaging for cosmetic, hygiene and toiletry products intended for use in the accommodation sector (e.g. shampoo bottles in hotels).
- Very lightweight plastic carrier bags, except for very lightweight plastic carrier bags required for hygiene reasons or provided as primary packaging for loose food where this helps to prevent food waste.
Ensuring the reuse of transport packaging
Companies that use transport packaging or sales packaging for transport, including products distributed through e-commerce, in the form of pallets, foldable plastic boxes, boxes, trays, plastic crates, intermediate bulk containers, pails, drums and canisters of any size and of any material, including flexible formats or films and pallet straps for stabilising and protecting products placed on pallets during transport, must ensure from 1 January 2030 that at least 40 % of the packaging used is reusable packaging within a reuse system (70 % from 2040).
Transport packaging and sales packaging for transport, including products distributed through e-commerce, used between different economic operators within the same Member State, or between different sites of the same operator, or between partner enterprises within the EU, must be fully reusable. Companies that use grouped packaging in the form of boxes, excluding cardboard, in addition to sales packaging to group a certain number of products in order to create a stock-keeping or distribution unit must ensure that at least 10 % of such packaging is reusable within a reuse system (25 % from 2040).
EU declaration of conformity for packaging
Suppliers of packaging or packaging materials are obliged to provide the producer with comprehensive information and documentation. This provision is essential so that the producer can demonstrate compliance with the requirements set out in the regulation.
The regulation requires packaging producers to draw up an EU declaration of conformity for packaging before it is placed on the market. The declaration must follow a specific format and content and must be kept and provided to the authorities on request:
- for 5 years after single-use packaging is placed on the market,
- for 10 years after reusable packaging is placed on the market.
What should companies do now?
Although the regulation sets out general objectives, many key requirements will need to be specified through delegated and implementing acts laying down the detailed rules or technical specifications needed for effective implementation and enforcement of the regulation. Implementing and delegated acts will play a decisive role in defining the implementation details for businesses and waste management systems.
Recommendations that can be applied today:
- Analyse your packaging portfolio – assess the types of packaging you use and find out whether they meet the recycling and reuse requirements.
- Review and optimise data management – evaluate your raw data and improve the measurement of raw data and of the sales weight of packaging, as this directly affects the fees.
- Introduce reuse systems – develop strategies for incorporating reusable packaging solutions into your business model.
- Strengthen partnerships.
- Work with a producer responsibility organisation to develop innovative solutions.
- Optimise cost management – plan for the costs associated with extended producer responsibility and invest in innovative design in order to reduce fees. Review your financial controlling processes as well, so as to maintain oversight of costs.
