The new restrictions on acceptable material use and product design introduced with the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) have begun to apply across Europe and Northern Ireland in line with the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement previously reached with the United Kingdom, effective 12 August, 2026.
A European Commission statement said a range of reforms will be phased in during the next four years in a move to create a consistent circular economy approach across Europe. It aims to curb a reliance on using fossil fuel-derived materials such as plastics in packaging.
An initial focus to come into effect across the EU will be restrictions on the level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that can be used within food-contact packaging.
The Commission said the PPWR was committed to preventing exposure to PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals’, due to their failure to break down in the environment. A raft of research in recent years has looked at the potential for these chemicals to accumulate in ecosystems and organisms, leading to concerns about health problems, which has resulted in calls for political action.
The Commission said: “PFAS have been commonly used in food packaging such as takeaway containers, fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, bakery paper and pizza boxes to repel water or grease. By limiting the use of PFAS in food-contact packaging, the new rules will help protect human health while reducing the release of these harmful substances into the environment.”
Other early plans for the PPWR’s implementation include introducing harmonised requirements across the EU for how certain information is provided on packaging about the requirements of extended producer responsibility initiatives. Further reforms will gradually be implemented under the PPWR up to the end of the current decade. Harmonised labelling will be introduced on packaging from 2028 to ensure more efficient recycling and composting across the bloc.
By 2030, additional measures will be introduced concerning direct methods to curb packaging waste by looking at limits on space within packaging and the use of small single-use plastic formats such as sachets by hospitality businesses. Reuse targets will also be implemented across the EU.
The PPWR is expected to encourage the mandatory use of recycled plastics in packaging, while requiring that any packaging used is recyclable. Some of the reforms are planned to be introduced through secondary legislation to limit what the Commission called “unnecessary administrative burden” on the private sector from any changes introduced. This would include undertaking engagement with the private sector, national governments and civil society bodies.
