The new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) applies to all packaging, packaging materials, and packaging waste on the Union market, replacing the existing Packaging Waste Directive. The Regulation addresses both B2B and B2C packaging, including commercial, household, industrial, and other sectors.
The general application date is 12 August 2026. However, some provisions have later application dates.
New requirements under the PPWR: less waste, more transparency, fair recycling
The new PPWR introduces measures to:
- Generate less waste. Plastic packaging must be made in part from recycled content. In addition, layers of unnecessary packaging or pellets will not be permitted.
- Increase recyclability. All Packaging must be recyclable by 2030.
- Have clear labelling. This will help consumers recognise the materials and understand how the recycle the packaging.
- Encourages re-use, refill, and collection. This include boosting deposit and return systems.
- Ban PFAS. Companies using non-recyclable or environmentally harmful materials will have to pay to clean them up. “Forever chemicals” (PFAS) will be banned from packaging from August 2026.
Polluter pays principle: producer and extended producer responsibility (EPR)
To implement the polluter pays principle, the Regulation lays obligations for the management of packaging waste on producers. The PPWR seeks to define one producer per packaging unit, whether it is for empty packaging or for packaging containing products. Generally, “the producer is the economic operator who, as a manufacturer, importer or distributor established in a Member State, makes available packaged products from within the territory of that Member State and on that same territory” (preamble to EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). On the other hand, when the packaging (or the packaged product) is made available to end users by means of distance sales, the producer could also be established in another Member State or in a third country. Nonetheless, the producer has to appoint an authorised representative for extended producer responsibility in each Member State where the packaging (or the packaged product) is made available.
Recycling symbols for the EU market
An important step to enhance labelling clarity and recyclability is the introduction of harmonised recycling symbols across the EU. While the PPWR does not provide specific symbols, it sets the basis for developing an harmonised scheme. By August 2028 (or later, depending on when the implementing act is published), packaging placed on the EU market shall be marked with a harmonised label on sorting information by indicating its material composition. The Commission has not adopted any symbols yet, but the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published a proposal.
Currently, in some EU countries providing recycling information is mandatory according to their national rules.
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References:
European Commission (2025). Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC. Retrieved on 03/03/2026.
European Commission (2025). Packaging Waste Regulation. Boosting business and protecting the planet. Retrieved on 03/03/2026.
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