PPWR: 79 days to go — what changes for the plastics packaging industry on 12 August 2026

PPWR replaces Directive 94/62/EC from 1994 and introduces, for the first time in the history of European packaging legislation, a directly applicable regulation — meaning the same rules apply across all 27 member states, with no room for different national interpretations. This is a paradigm shift for producers, importers and distributors of plastic packaging operating on the EU market.

The obligations entering into force on 12 August 2026 cover several areas simultaneously. All packaging placed on the EU market must comply with recyclability and design-for-recycling requirements. Food-contact packaging may no longer contain PFAS above the limits of 25 ppb for individual substances and 250 ppb total. Grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging may not exceed 50% empty space relative to the packaged product. Harmonised sorting labels for packaging are introduced at EU level, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes become mandatory and harmonised across member states.

Looking further ahead, PPWR introduces mandatory recycled content targets for plastic packaging: from 2030, a minimum of 30% recycled content for PET in food contact applications, 10% for other food-contact plastics, 30% for single-use beverage bottles and 35% for other plastic packaging, rising to 65% by 2040. Also from 2030, all packaging must be recyclable in an economically viable way, and packaging waste reduction targets are set at −5% by 2030, −10% by 2035 and −15% by 2040, against a 2018 baseline.

Implementation is not without friction. In March 2026, the European Commission published a guidance document intended to clarify definitions for producers, importers and packaging types, as well as restrictions on single-use items and PFAS. Industry reaction was critical: EUROPEN stated that the document "still falls short of providing the legal certainty and operational clarity businesses urgently require." In April 2026, a group of single-use packaging producers sent a private letter to EU institutions requesting a delay and renegotiation of PPWR — just four months before the application date. Rethink Plastic Alliance publicly condemned the move, stressing that the regulation had been agreed after years of legislative debate and that reopening negotiations would undermine the credibility of the European regulatory framework.

From a Plastinfo perspective, PPWR is the most significant legislative event for the European plastic packaging industry in the last 30 years. For processors, compounders and packaging producers that have not yet begun their compliance process, the window is closing fast. Immediate priorities include auditing packaging portfolios against recyclability requirements and PFAS limits, registering with EPR schemes in each member state where products are sold, and planning the transition towards certified recycled-content grades ahead of the 2030 targets.