UnderstandStep 01
Read the requirement, not a summary of a summary.
Plain-language explanations tied to the article they come from, with the legal text one click away.
EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2025/40
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Regulatory intelligence for packaging
Understand.
Check.
Comply.
Reg. (EU) 2025/40 · 8 requirement families · 2026 → 2040
PPWR.how tracks every requirement, deadline and implementing act of the EU packaging regulation — and maps them onto the packaging you actually ship.
How the site works
Three moves, in order.
Most people arrive with one specific packaging question. The site is built to answer it, then take you one step further than an article can.
CheckStep 02
Test your own packaging against the rules.
Enter material, format and market. Get the requirements that apply to it, with the dates they bite.
SolveStep 03
Close the gap with testing or a different pack.
Verification methods, compliant material routes and packaging formats — quoted against your spec.
Core requirements · Art. 5–29
Eight requirement families decide almost everything.
Select one to see what it demands, when it starts, and where the obligation sits in the legal text.
A / B / Cdesign-for-recycling performance grades, Annex II
Every pack must be designed for recycling — and graded.
From 2030 all packaging placed on the EU market must meet design-for-recycling criteria and reach at least grade C (70% recyclable by weight). The bar rises: grade C is the floor in 2030, grade B (80%) from 2038. Packaging below grade C cannot be placed on the market.
Art. 6 + Annex II
Grade C — 1 Jan 2030
Grade B — 1 Jan 2038
Recycled at scale — 2035
30%minimum PCR in contact-sensitive PET packaging, 2030
Plastic packaging must carry post-consumer recycled content.
Minimum recycled content applies per unit of plastic packaging, by material type and application. From 2030: 30% for contact-sensitive PET, 10% for other contact-sensitive plastics, 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles, 35% for all other plastic packaging. Targets step up again in 2040.
Art. 7 + Annex II
1 Jan 2030
1 Jan 2040
Verifiable per EN 15343
Annex IVperformance criteria you must argue against
Packaging must be reduced to the minimum necessary.
Weight, volume and layers must be the minimum required for functionality — assessed against the performance criteria in Annex IV (protection, manufacturing, logistics, information, hygiene, safety, legal requirements). Double walls, false bottoms and purely marketing-driven layers are the obvious targets.
Art. 10 + Annex IV
Applies since 12 Aug 2026
Documented in technical file
≤50%empty space in grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging
Half the box may be air. No more.
From 2030 the empty space ratio of grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging is capped at 50%, measured against the volume of the products and any filling material. For anyone shipping parcels this is the single most disruptive rule in the regulation — it changes box ranges, void fill and pick-and-pack.
Art. 24 + Annex VII
1 Jan 2030
Void fill counts as empty space
2028harmonised material & sorting labels become mandatory
One harmonised label system across all 27 markets.
From 12 August 2028 packaging must carry a harmonised label showing material composition to support sorting, plus matching labels on waste receptacles. Reusable packaging and deposit-return items carry additional marks. A digital carrier — typically a QR code — may hold the extended information.
Art. 12 + Annex IX
12 Aug 2028
Implementing act on pictograms pending
25 ppbtargeted PFAS limit in food-contact packaging
Food-contact packaging is effectively PFAS-free.
Since 12 August 2026 food-contact packaging may not be placed on the market if PFAS exceed the thresholds set in Article 5(5) — 25 ppb for any single PFAS by targeted analysis, 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS, and 50 ppm for total fluorine. Lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium remain capped at 100 ppm combined.
Art. 5(2) & 5(5)
In force — 12 Aug 2026
Testing required
40%transport packaging reuse target, 2030
Some sectors must move to reusable systems.
Binding reuse targets apply by sector from 2030 — including 40% of transport packaging within the EU, with a step to 70% by 2040. Beverage and takeaway sectors carry their own targets and exemptions. Reusable packaging must meet the system criteria in Article 27 and be part of a functioning reuse system.
Art. 27 & 29 + Annex VI
1 Jan 2030
1 Jan 2040
DoCEU declaration of conformity per packaging unit
If it isn't documented, it isn't compliant.
Every packaging unit needs technical documentation demonstrating conformity with the sustainability requirements, and an EU declaration of conformity drawn up before it is placed on the market. Importers and distributors carry their own verification duties — the obligation does not stop at the manufacturer.
Art. 11, 15–18, 38 + Annex VIII
Applies since 12 Aug 2026
Retain 5 years
Compliance calendar
PPWR arrives in stages. The expensive ones are already visible.
Nothing about this regulation lands at once — which is exactly why packaging decisions taken this year are already constrained by 2030.
2025
11 Feb 2025Regulation enters into force
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 published; 18-month transition begins.
Through 2025Preparatory acts
Commission begins work on design-for-recycling and labelling acts.
You are here2026
12 Aug 2026PPWR applies
Directive 94/62/EC repealed. Minimisation, substances of concern, documentation and conformity duties bite.
12 Aug 2026PFAS limits, food contact
Art. 5(5) thresholds apply to food-contact packaging.
2028
1 Jan 2028Design-for-recycling criteria due
Delegated acts define grades A/B/C per packaging category.
12 Aug 2028Harmonised labelling
Material composition and separate-collection labels become mandatory.
2029
1 Jan 2029Deposit return systems
DRS required for single-use plastic bottles and metal beverage containers below the collection threshold.
1 Jan 202990% separate collection
Member State collection target for in-scope beverage containers.
2030
1 Jan 2030The big one
Recyclability grade C minimum · recycled content minimums · empty space ≤50% · reuse targets.
1 Jan 2030Format bans, Annex V
Certain single-use plastic formats prohibited, including grouped multipacks and hotel miniatures.
2035
1 Jan 2035Recycled at scale
Packaging must not only be designed for recycling — it must actually be recycled at scale.
2038
1 Jan 2038Grade B becomes the floor
Packaging below 80% recyclability by weight can no longer be placed on the market.
2040
1 Jan 2040Recycled content steps up
Up to 65% PCR for some plastic packaging categories.
1 Jan 2040Reuse targets rise
70% for transport packaging within the EU, with expanded sector targets.
Drag or use ← →
Dates reflect the consolidated text; implementing acts may refine scope
Prototype — figures to be served from the PPWR.how database
Regulatory evidence
Nothing here is asserted. Everything is cited.
Compliance decisions get audited. Every requirement, figure and date on PPWR.how carries the same evidence block — so you can hand it to a lawyer, a customer or an auditor without re-doing the work.
EUR-Lex32025R0040Consolidated
“All packaging shall be recyclable. Packaging shall be considered recyclable where it complies with the design for recycling criteria … and, from 1 January 2035, where it is recycled at scale.”
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — Article 6(1), (4) a
- Legal basis b
- Art. 6 + Annex II
- Instrument
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40
- Effective date c
- 2030-01-01
- In force since
- 2025-02-11
- Last reviewed d
- 2026-08-16
- Revision
- r4 — DfR act pending
Source verified
against official text View on EUR-Lex ↗ Change history e
against official text View on EUR-Lex ↗ Change history e
- a
The article, quoted
Not paraphrased. The operative sentence from the official text, with the article and paragraph it comes from.
- b
Legal basis
Which article and annex create the obligation — including the implementing or delegated act that will define the detail.
- c
Effective date, separated from entry into force
The regulation has been in force since 2025. Most obligations are not. We never conflate the two.
- d
Last reviewed
A human checked this entry against the current consolidated text on this date. Stale entries are flagged, not hidden.
- e
Change history
Corrigenda, new guidance and standards are recorded as revisions, so you can see what moved since you last quoted it.
Find it by your packaging
Start from what you actually ship.
Most people do not arrive asking about Article 6. They arrive asking whether their mailer is still legal in 2030. Enter from material, format or industry.
By material
Each material carries its own recyclability route, recycled-content rules and testing methods.
All materials →By packaging type
Format decides which articles apply — empty space and minimisation hit transport and e-commerce hardest.
All formats →By industry
Sector rules differ — food contact, cosmetics and beverages each carry extra obligations.
All industries →Tools
Reading is not compliance. Check the pack.
The Packaging Checker turns a specification into a list of the requirements that apply to it, the dates they apply from, and the evidence you will be asked for.
Result — sample output
3 of 8 families apply
Art. 7
Recycled content35% PCR required for other plastic packaging
2030
Art. 6
RecyclabilityLDPE mono-material — provisional grade B
Grade B
Art. 12
LabellingMaterial composition label + digital carrier
2028
Art. 5(5)
PFASNot food contact — screening recommended for coatings
Check
PPWR Timeline
Filter every deadline by material, format and sector; export to your compliance calendar.
Live Material FinderCompare substrate options against recyclability grades and recycled-content availability.
Beta — Q4 2026 PCR CalculatorWork out required post-consumer content per unit and per plant average, by category.
Beta — Q4 2026 Empty Space CalculatorEnter product and box dimensions; see the Article 24 ratio and the compliant box size.
Beta — Q1 2027Regulatory intelligence
The regulation is written. The detail is still being decided.
Implementing acts, delegated acts, standards and Member State measures will change what compliance actually means. We track them and mark what moved.
IMG-12
Draft delegated act on design-for-recycling criteria opens for feedback
The first draft sets category-level grading for plastics and fibre-based packaging. Two provisions would change how multilayer laminates are graded — worth reading before you re-spec a laminate.
Read the analysis →
2026-08-11
Brussels Commission publishes updated FAQ on packaging minimisation (Art. 10) European CommissionGuidance ↗ 2026-07-29
CEN/TC 261 Standardisation request accepted for recyclability assessment methods StandardsIn development ↗ 2026-07-14
EUR-Lex Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — Annex V format definitions EUR-LexText change ↗ 2026-06-30
Germany BMUV consults on aligning VerpackG with PPWR reporting duties Member StateConsultation ↗ 2026-06-05
Brussels Implementing act on labelling pictograms slips to Q1 2027 European CommissionDelayed ↗
Brussels Commission publishes updated FAQ on packaging minimisation (Art. 10) European CommissionGuidance ↗ 2026-07-29
CEN/TC 261 Standardisation request accepted for recyclability assessment methods StandardsIn development ↗ 2026-07-14
EUR-Lex Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — Annex V format definitions EUR-LexText change ↗ 2026-06-30
Germany BMUV consults on aligning VerpackG with PPWR reporting duties Member StateConsultation ↗ 2026-06-05
Brussels Implementing act on labelling pictograms slips to Q1 2027 European CommissionDelayed ↗
IMG-13
Testing & verification
Most requirements end in a lab report.
Knowing the rule is not evidence. These are the methods authorities and customers ask for, and the standards behind them.
PFAS in food-contact packaging
Total fluorine screening, then targeted LC-MS/MS against the Art. 5(5) thresholds.
Art. 5(5) · CEN/TS
Heavy metals
Lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium — 100 ppm combined limit.
Art. 5(2) · EN 13695
Recycled content verification
Chain-of-custody audit plus analytical confirmation where the claim is material.
EN 15343
Material identification
FTIR / NIR polymer identification and layer analysis for laminates.
ISO 11357 · FTIR
Recyclability assessment
Design-for-recycling scoring and sortability trials against the coming grade criteria.
Art. 6 · Annex II
Compostability
Only where compostable packaging is permitted or required under Article 9.
EN 13432
Packaging solutions
When the answer is a different pack.
Formats we manufacture and source, listed against the requirements they address. Not a catalogue — each one is quoted against your specification, artwork and volumes.
IMG-14
IMG-15
IMG-16
Next step
Not sure where your packaging stands?
Send one specification. You get back the requirements that apply, the dates they apply from, the evidence you will need — and, if the pack cannot get there, the formats that can.