PPWR Enters into Application, Draft on Producer Registers Opened for Consultation

Two developments followed one another in August under the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Regulation (EU) 2025/40 began applying across the EU on a phased basis as of 12 August 2026. According to the European Commission’s announcement, the PPWR replaces fragmented national rules with a harmonised common framework covering the entire life cycle of packaging and applies to all packaging placed on the EU market, regardless of where it is manufactured.

Among the first measures now in force is a restriction on PFAS in food-contact packaging. From 2028, a harmonised labelling system designed to facilitate waste sorting will apply. From 2030, mandatory recycled content in new plastic packaging and the requirement that all packaging be recyclable will begin to apply. Empty space limits, restrictions on certain single-use plastic packaging and reuse targets will also take effect in the same year.

The second development concerns producer obligations. On 6 August, the Commission opened for public consultation a draft implementing regulation setting out the harmonised registration format and reporting requirements for national producer registers under the PPWR. The draft envisages that registration information be submitted electronically, in a form suitable for automated processing. Packaging, meanwhile, must be described with all of its integrated and separate components.

The Commission notes that the text is still a draft that has not been adopted, and that the final regulation will enter into force following its publication in the Official Journal. An updated version of the PPWR Frequently Asked Questions document has also been made available, alongside the guidance published in March 2026.