[Regulatory Update] EU Publishes Practical Guidance on the PPWR — Also Clarifying How to Determine PFAS Content in Food-Contact Packaging (Applicable from 12 August 2026)
While the PPWR is a single regulatory framework for "packaging", in practice companies need to address it across materials, chemicals, testing methods and supply chain information. Not only food packaging manufacturers but also food and beverage companies and companies procuring packaging materials need to obtain PFAS-content information and test data from their suppliers; now that application has begun, the practical focus for companies has shifted from the law itself to "how to measure and how to determine compliance".
Related Regulation Information
EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is a new, comprehensive regulation covering all packaging placed on the EU market, designed to advance the circular economy. It formally entered into force on February 11, 2025, with full, phased application beginning August 12, 2026. Unlike a directive, the PPWR does not require transposition into each member state's national law — as a regulation, it applies directly and uniformly across the entire EU with binding legal force. As a result, any company shipping products to the EU market — not only packaging material manufacturers, but also manufacturers, importers, and online sellers of packaged goods across sectors such as automotive, electronics, and consumer products — is subject to strict requirements covering packaging waste reduction, minimization of packaging (banning excessive packaging), mandatory reuse and recyclability, and packaging conformity assessment together with a Declaration of Conformity. The PPWR represents a complete overhaul of the earlier Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD, Directive 94/62/EC), replacing it with a regulation that applies directly across the EU. The PPWD, adopted in 1994, was a landmark environmental directive that systematically advanced the reduction, reuse, and recycling of packaging waste across EU member states and became the foundation for packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems worldwide. Following phased amendments under the 2015 and 2018 Circular Economy Packages, the EU has now moved to a single, uniform set of rules across all member states to eliminate inconsistencies in national implementation, further strengthening requirements for packaging reduction, reuse, recyclable design, and mandatory use of recycled content.
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