On January 22, 2025, the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) was officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This regulation aims to promote environmental protection and the recycling of resources, reduce the generation of packaging waste, and improve the recycling and reuse rates of packaging waste. The regulation will completely ban the use of PFAS in food contact materials and sets strict standards for the content of recycled materials in packaging. It will officially come into effect on February 11, 2025, with full implementation expected from August 2026.
Main Features of PPWR
- From January 1, 2030, the use of specific types of single-use plastic packaging will be banned, including packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables, food and beverage packaging in restaurants, single-serving condiments (such as spices, sauces, cream, sugar), mini packaging for toiletries, and very light plastic bags (wall thickness less than 15 microns).
- To avoid health impacts, the regulation also prohibits the use of "forever chemicals" (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS) above a certain threshold in food contact packaging.
- Retailers of beverages and takeaway food will be required to offer consumers the option of using their own containers, aiming to provide no less than 10% of products in reusable packaging forms by 2030.
- According to PPWR, all packaging materials, except for lightweight wood, cork, textiles, rubber, ceramics, porcelain, and wax, must be recycled and reused according to strict standards.
- The regulation also sets minimum recycling content targets for plastic packaging and minimum recycling targets for the weight of packaging waste: by 2029, 90% of single-use plastic and metal beverage containers (up to 3 liters) will need to be collected separately.
EU PPWR Focus on Plastic Packaging
Article 7 of the regulation emphasizes restrictions on a range of plastic packaging, specifying minimum percentage of recycled content recovered from post-consumer plastic waste by January 1, 2030, or January 1, 2040, or within 3 years after the regulation takes effect, as shown in the table below:
|
|
2030 threshold |
2040 threshold |
|
a）contact-sensitive packaging made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the major component, except single-use plastic beverage bottles |
30% |
50% |
|
b）Contact-sensitive packaging made from plastic materials other than PET, except single-use plastic beverage bottles |
10% |
25% |
|
c）Single-use beverage bottles |
30% |
65% |
|
d）Plastic packaging other than those referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) |
35% |
65% |
Our Services
- Assistance with preparing necessary technical documentation
- EU compliance declarations
- Testing for biobased content in packaging
- Compostability testing for tea and coffee bags, and adhesive labels on fruits and vegetables
- Training on the latest regulatory updates
About Us
The Sustainable Development Department is part of the CIRS Group, focusing on sustainable development and the circular economy. We specialize in helping companies in the chemicals, plastics, packaging, construction products, automotive, electronics, and consumer goods industries meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations and sustainable development challenges. We help businesses stay ahead of policy and regulatory oversight, meet customer and supply chain requirements, and enhance market competitiveness.
In the field of product sustainability, we offer services including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), product carbon footprint, Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification, recycling certification, and green chemistry assessment and certification. In the field of supply chain sustainability, we provide services including dual carbon and sustainable development strategic planning, greenhouse gas inventories, EcoVadis certification and rating improvement, CDP questionnaire completion, SBTi science-based carbon reduction target declarations, ESG reporting, and software solutions.
