New EU rules set by the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will apply from August 2026.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 2025/40 (PPWR) sets new European Union (EU) rules on packaging, from design to waste management and waste prevention. It will take effect from 12 August 2026 and will gradually roll out through to 2040.
These webinars offer an overview of the main new obligations, and discuss the potential challenges and strategies that agri-food operators can adopt to anticipate implementation.
New rules set by the EU on packaging, from design to waste management and waste prevention, will start to apply from mid-2026.
For more information on the new EU rules, see New EU packaging rules explained.
The PPWR is part of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan that commits to making all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2030, and to reducing (over) packaging and packaging waste. Packaging is one of the main users of virgin materials and is a significant contributor to waste. Much recyclable packaging is not recycled in practice because suitable collection and recycling processes are not in place, or are not economically viable.
Prior to the PPWR, packaging and packaging waste in the EU were regulated by Directive 94/62/EC. Because EU Directives set out goals that each EU Member State must achieve through national law, this Directive was implemented in different ways. Setting the new rules in a Regulation (rather than a Directive), which must be applied directly and uniformly across the Union by all EU countries, will reduce administrative burdens on businesses by aligning practices across EU countries.