Quick Guide to the PPWR 2026

Regulation (EU) 2025/40, known as the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), was published in the EU Official Journal on 22 January 2025 and enters into force on 12 August 2026.

Why is the regulation changing and who does it affect?

The EU generates more than 80 million tonnes of packaging waste per year. To curb this volume, the European Union seeks to reduce waste, ensure traceability and set harmonised recyclability criteria. It affects the entire value chain: producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors.

And what am I, a producer or a manufacturer?

This is one of the questions companies are asking themselves most right now, especially in relation to industrial and commercial packaging. Although both concepts are often confused, they have different implications.

• Manufacturer: whoever manufactures or commissions the design or manufacture of packaging or a packaged product and markets it under their own name or brand. In the case of private labels (PL), this role usually falls to the brand owner.

• Producer: whoever first places packaging or a packaged product on the market of a Member State.

Furthermore, under the framework of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), from 12 August 2026 the owner of a private label will assume the status of producer responsible for the products marketed under their brand (PL).

For this reason, the same company may be a manufacturer, a producer, or both, depending on how it designs, markets and places its products on the market.

Key obligations from 12 August 2026

From this deadline, four major requirements enter into force:

• Mandatory EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC): No packaging may be sold in the EU without this document certifying compliance in terms of recyclability, hazardous substances or labelling.

• What PFAS are and why they are banned in food packaging: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemical agents. PFAS have been manufactured and used across a variety of industries worldwide. Both are extremely persistent in the environment and in the human body; that is, they do not degrade and can accumulate over time. For this reason, they will be banned in food packaging.

• Limit on empty space and unnecessary packaging: Air or empty space may not exceed 40% in packages (including e-commerce). Dispensable formats such as single-dose portions in hospitality or plastic bags under 15 microns (except for hygiene purposes) are prohibited.

• Mandatory registration of producers: They will have to pay the Extended Producer Responsibility fee, which will depend on the degree of recyclability of the packaging (ratings from A to C): the higher the recyclability, the lower the cost. Registration in the national register of the country where the product is sold will also be mandatory.

In addition, the regulation contains a roadmap set out by the European Union through to 2030:

• Clear labelling on materials and compostability will be mandatory.

• PET plastic packaging for food will need to contain at least 30% recycled plastic. In B2B transport, 40% of packaging will need to be reusable.

Conclusion

Preparing in advance — by auditing packaging and adapting the supply chain — is vital to ensure business continuity.

SOURCE: PPWR 2026: Qué deben hacer las empresas españolas — ECOEMBES