In February 2025, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) came into force and the law will apply from August this year. That means any business that ships goods to the EU will need to ensure they are compliant with the new legislation.
What is the EU PPWR legislation?
There are six main elements of the PPWR legislation that it is important to be aware of if you are sending parcels to the EU:
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Avoid unnecessary packaging.
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Packaging needs to be clearly labeled to aid recycling.
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Reusable packaging and return schemes will receive more support.
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All packaging must be recyclable by 2030.
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Any plastic packaging must be made in part from recycled content.
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Brands using harmful substances or packaging that isn’t recyclable will need to pay to clean them up.
Let’s look at each in turn to see what you need to be aware of if you’re shipping goods to the EU.
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Avoid unnecessary packaging
This is relatively simple – don’t use more packaging than is actually required for the safe transportation of your goods.
When you’re choosing your packaging options, avoid having too much empty space and keep the packages as small as possible. For some products, selecting boxes that are made to measure will be the most sensible way forward.
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Ensure clear packaging labelling
The aim of this element of the legislation is to make it much easier for consumers to understand how to recycle packaging and to know what packaging is made of.
Under the new legislation, this labelling needs to be clear, easy to understand and based on pictograms. This certainly makes life easier when you are shipping to multiple countries that all have different first languages.
If your packaging is part of a deposit or return scheme, that also needs to be made clear on the labelling. You need to state whether the packaging you’ve used is reusable too, even if it’s not part of a defined reuse scheme.
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Deposit and return schemes receive a boost
The EU plans to provide greater support for deposit and return schemes, although this is likely to be most applicable to businesses based in EU nations rather than the UK.
In addition, the legislation stresses that businesses must make reusable or refillable packaging available wherever possible, while some single-use plastics will be banned under these new regulations.
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All packaging must be recyclable by 2030
This is a big one – and important for businesses to be aware of given that 2030 is now less than four years away.
Under the EU’s PPWR, all packaging needs to be designed so that it can be used for an alternative purpose. The aim is to eliminate packaging waste from going to landfill or being burned.
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The drive for recycled content in plastic packaging
When the new PPWR legislation comes into effect in August, any plastic packaging that is used must be made in part from recycled plastic. There are additional targets for increasing the level of recycled plastic used in packaging from 2030 to 2040.
The reason that the EU has set targets around recycled plastic content in packaging is that it wants to reduce its need to import fossil fuels to produce plastic. On average, each European citizen generates 35kg of plastic waste every year.
It’s hoped that by improving the level of recycled plastic in packaging, the amount of new plastic being produced will fall and help the bloc meet its sustainability targets.
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Brands will be forced to clean up harmful packaging waste
Brands or businesses that don’t comply with the regulations and continue to ship products in harmful packaging will be forced to pay for their clean up and disposal.
This means the onus is not just on consumers to recycle the packaging they receive, but for brands to make it easier to do so while minimising environmental harm.
The PPWR also sets out new limits on levels of harmful “forever chemicals”, also known as PFAs, that are allowed in packaging that comes into contact with food products.
Why is this new legislation being introduced?
The European Commission stated that packaging “uses too many resources and is inefficient and expensive for businesses and consumers”, which is the main driver behind this new legislation.
While the organisation noted many businesses already use sustainable packaging to ship their products, it stressed that more needs to be done to prevent packaging waste growing faster than the bloc’s population.
Data from the European Parliament shows that while the amount of plastic waste generated per capita in the EU has increased steadily, recycling rates have held steady – but are far lower than the amount of waste being generated.
This new legislation aims to close the gap between the waste produced and recycling rates by tackling the waste itself, rather than focusing solely on increasing the number of people who are recycling their waste.
