From 12 August 2026, businesses are required to apply Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste, commonly known as the PPWR. The Regulation replaces Directive 94/62/EC and establishes uniform requirements for the design, manufacture, placing on the market, reuse, recycling, labelling and management of packaging. It applies directly in all European Union Member States, without the need for transposition into national law.
The Regulation sets standards for the manufacture and distribution of packaging. It imposes obligations, in particular, on packaging manufacturers; businesses that package products and place them on the market in packaged form; importers of packaging or packaged goods from outside the EU; distributors, retailers and e-commerce operators; businesses using transport, grouped or reusable packaging; and businesses supplying drinks or food in specified packaging formats.
Under the Regulation, before placing packaging on the market, the manufacturer or an entity treated as the manufacturer must, in particular, assess conformity with the PPWR, draw up technical documentation, prepare an EU declaration of conformity and ensure that series production remains compliant. They must retain the documentation and declaration for the required period and provide the manufacturer’s identification details on the packaging or in the accompanying documentation. If packaging is found to be non-compliant, they must take corrective action and, where appropriate, withdraw or recall it.
The Regulation also introduces more stringent requirements for packaging recycling. In particular, businesses must limit the number of materials and components that impede sorting, ensure that materials can be recovered from packaging, and reduce the use of adhesives, dyes, coatings and additives that hinder recycling. They must also take account of the availability of sorting and recycling infrastructure, design packaging to meet recyclability and recycling efficiency criteria, and collect data demonstrating that the packaging design complies with the requirements.