EU PPWR: What F&B Companies Need to Know About the New Packaging Rules

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) marks the biggest change to packaging legislation in decades. While often described as a recyclability regulation, its impact reaches far beyond whether a package can be recycled. For food and beverage companies, PPWR could reshape how packaging is designed, documented, sourced, and managed across the entire value chain. The regulation entered into force on February 11, 2025, and generally applies from August 12, 2026. It broadly replaces the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, although some provisions of the previous framework continue during transitional periods. The goal is to reduce packaging waste, improve circularity, and increase the use of recycled materials. For the F&B industry, the regulation introduces new responsibilities around packaging materials, supplier information, compliance documentation, and future packaging design choices.

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