New packaging regulations in the EU are entering into application on Wednesday, kicking off a series of rules to be rolled out over the next few years
The first new requirements under the EU’s revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) are entering into application on Wednesday, kicking off a series of rules under the regulation to be rolled out over the next few years, aimed at significantly reducing packaging waste in the EU, and addressing the environmental and health impacts of packaging across its lifecycle.
New rules applying immediately include strict limits on PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in food contact packaging, while future rules will include a requirement for all packaging placed on the EU market to be recyclable by 2030.
In a statement marking the launch of the new rules, the European Commission said that the regulation “will further help tackle the environmental challenges caused by packaging and make Europe less dependent on imported fossil fuels from which plastic packaging is almost entirely made.”
The initiation of the new requirements follows the adoption by EU lawmakers in late 2024 of the new rules, proposed by the Commission in 2022 as an update to the PPWR regulation, which the Commission noted at the time had not fully succeeded in reducing the negative environmental impacts of packaging, with the EU generating approximately 186 kilograms of waste packaging per person annually, including 36 kg of plastic packaging. Packaging accounts for 40% of plastics and 50% of paper used in the EU.
The new rules taking effect today include a prohibition on food-contact packaging from being placed on the EU market if it contains PFAS at or above specified concentration limits. PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been in use in a wide range of consumer and industrial products since the 1940s, and are commonly found in food packaging, fabrics, kitchenware products, fire-fighting foam, and electronics, among other products. The chemicals tend to be very persistent, and don’t break down over time, and have been found to accumulate in the human body and in the environment.
Additional rules taking effect include traceability and identification obligations, with requirements for packaging placed on the EU market to carry markings and information ensuring that packaging manufacturers or importers can be identified and contacted as needed.
Going forward, the PPWR regulation will introduce a harmonized labelling system in 2028 for packaging will apply across the EU to facilitate waste-sorting to increase efficiency in recycling and composting waste streams. Future requirements will include obligations for EU member states to reduce the amount of plastic packaging waste, and overall packaging reduction targets of 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040, bans on certain types of single-use plastic packaging by 2030, including packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables, food and beverages filled and consumed in hotels, bars and restaurants, and small, single-use cosmetic and toiletry products, among others.
For the new recyclable packaging target, the regulation will require packaging to be designed for material recycling by 2030, and for packaging waste to be able to be collected separately and sorted into waste streams for recycling at scale by 2035.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said:
“The new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is an investment in Europe’s future: it will help reduce waste, increase recycling, make food-contact packaging safer for the consumers by limiting harmful substances such as PFAS, and reduce our dependence on virgin raw materials. These are essential steps towards a truly circular economy.”
