EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation Enters Into Application

The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) began applying across all 27 member states, replacing the 1994 directive's patchwork of national transpositions with the bloc's first directly-binding, harmonised packaging rules. The initial phase restricts packaging containing PFAS ('forever chemicals') above strict concentration limits from food-contact materials and requires manufacturers to minimise hazardous substances in packaging composition. Further phased requirements follow through 2040, including harmonised waste-sorting labelling from 2028 and mandatory recyclability, minimum recycled-content, and single-use plastic restrictions from 2030.