EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation
The PPWR already applies. Is your packaging compliant?
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation has applied since 12 August 2026 — and its recyclability grades, recycled-content targets, and labelling rules keep phasing in through 2030. Certean tracks every PPWR obligation per packaging format, so your team knows exactly what applies, when, and what evidence you need.
- PPWR obligations mapped to your packaging formats and markets
- Recyclability, recycled content, and labelling requirements tracked per product
- Automated conformity documentation and declarations
- Alerts when delegated acts and implementing rules are published
Book a PPWR demo
See your packaging portfolio against PPWR requirements. 30 minutes, no commitment.
PPWR Timeline
Requirements
What the PPWR requires
of your packaging
Recyclability by design
All packaging placed on the EU market must be recyclable, with design-for-recycling performance grades phasing in from 2030. Formats that fail the grades lose market access.
Recycled content targets
Binding minimum recycled-content targets for plastic packaging apply from 2030 and tighten by 2040 — tracked per packaging format and contact sensitivity.
Packaging minimization
Packaging must be reduced to the minimum necessary weight and volume, and certain formats are restricted outright. Empty-space limits apply to e-commerce packaging.
Harmonized labelling
New EU-harmonized labels for material composition and sorting replace national schemes, with deadlines phasing in across packaging types.
Substance restrictions
PFAS restrictions in food-contact packaging apply since August 2026, alongside existing limits on heavy metals and substances of concern.
Conformity documentation
Manufacturers must maintain technical documentation and an EU declaration of conformity for packaging — audit-ready evidence for every format and market.
FAQ
PPWR questions, answered
- What is the PPWR and when does it apply?
- The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40) replaces the 1994 Packaging Directive. It entered into force in February 2025 and applies since 12 August 2026, with major requirements such as recyclability grades and recycled-content targets phasing in from 2030 and tightening through 2040.
- Who has obligations under the PPWR?
- Every economic operator placing packaged products on the EU market: manufacturers, importers, distributors, and fulfilment providers. Obligations cover the packaging itself — not just packaging producers — so product manufacturers must ensure their sales, grouped, and transport packaging complies in every EU market they sell in.
- How does Certean help with PPWR compliance?
- Certean maps PPWR requirements to your specific packaging formats and products, monitors the delegated and implementing acts that define the technical detail, alerts your team when obligations change, and automates the technical documentation and declarations of conformity the regulation requires.
- What happens if our packaging doesn't comply?
- Non-compliant packaging can be refused market access, recalled, or penalized by national authorities. Because the PPWR is a regulation rather than a directive, it applies directly and uniformly in all EU member states — there is no national transposition period to fall back on.
Get Started
See your packaging against the PPWR
Book a 30-minute demo and we'll walk through your packaging formats, markets, and the deadlines that apply to you.
Book a Demo