PPWR — Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
EU-wide packaging sustainability rules from August 2026. Labelling, recyclability grades, recycled content targets, and DPP integration with ESPR.
Overview
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) — Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — replaces the Packaging Directive 94/62/EC with directly applicable EU-wide rules on packaging sustainability, labelling, recyclability, and reuse.
Legal basis
- Proposed: 30 November 2022
- Adopted: December 2024
- Entered into force: 11 February 2025
- General application date: 12 August 2026
- Replaces: Packaging Directive 94/62/EC
Key requirements from August 2026
- All packaging must carry a label indicating material composition and recyclability
- Packaging must meet minimum recyclability requirements
- Packaging design must enable sorting and recycling
- Reuse and refill targets begin phasing in
Recyclability grades
| Date | Requirement | |------|-------------| | August 2026 | Labelling with material composition and recyclability | | January 2030 | Only grades A-C may be marketed; minimum recycled content for plastic | | January 2035 | Recyclability must be demonstrated at scale | | January 2038 | Only grades A and B permitted |
Reuse targets (selected)
- Cold beverages (non-alcohol): 10% reuse by 2030, 40% by 2040
- Grouped/transport packaging: 35% reuse by 2030
DPP integration
The PPWR establishes a "one DPP per product" principle:
- If a product already has a DPP under ESPR or other EU law, the same DPP carries packaging data
- No separate PPWR-specific DPP is required
- The data carrier (QR code) must comply with both PPWR and any other applicable regulation
Packaging data in the DPP:
- Material composition of each packaging component
- Recyclability grade (A, B, C, D)
- Percentage recycled content
- Whether packaging is reusable
- Labelling information
Penalties
Member states set penalties; the regulation requires that they be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive. No EU-wide fine ceiling is specified. Common enforcement consequences include:
- Fines based on turnover or value of non-compliant packaging (amounts set nationally)
- Product market withdrawal for packaging that does not meet recyclability or labelling requirements
- Potential exclusion from public procurement for repeated infringement
Who is affected
All companies placing packaging on the EU market bear obligations — there is no size threshold:
- Manufacturers of packaging (primary obligation for design, recyclability, and labelling compliance)
- Converters and fillers — companies that fill packaging with their products
- Importers — responsible for compliance of packaging entering the EU from outside
- Brand owners — bear EPR obligations and recycled content targets
- Retailers — must ensure products they sell use compliant packaging
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations under Art. 45 apply from the general application date.
Key articles
| Article | Subject | |---------|---------| | Art. 7 | Recyclability requirements — design for recyclability obligations | | Art. 11 | Recycled content targets — minimum recycled plastic content percentages by weight | | Art. 12 | Labelling — material composition and recyclability label mandatory from 12 August 2026 | | Art. 45 | Extended Producer Responsibility — EPR scheme obligations | | DPP integration rule | One DPP per product — packaging data carried in the product DPP where one exists under ESPR |
Key dates
| Date | Milestone | |------|-----------| | 11 February 2025 | Entered into force | | 12 August 2026 | General application — labelling and recyclability | | January 2030 | Only grades A-C permitted; recycled content thresholds | | January 2035 | Recyclability demonstrated at scale | | January 2038 | Only grades A-B permitted |