PPWR 2025: What the EU’s new packaging rules mean for your business

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is one of the most significant legislative changes for producers, importers, and retailers in recent years. Discover how this will affect your business in our quick overview. 

Firstly, what’s the PPWR? 

Formally adopted in 2025, the PPWR replaces Directive 94/62/EC with Regulation (EU) 2025/40, creating a harmonised legal framework to tackle packaging waste across all Member States. 

This shift from a directive to a regulation means the rules will now apply directly in all EU countries without national transposition, ensuring uniform standards and enforcement. 

Why does the PPWR matter? 

The PPWR is designed to address three core challenges: 

1. Waste reduction – Cutting packaging waste at source through strict prevention targets. 

2. Recyclability – Ensuring all packaging placed on the EU market is recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030. 

3. Circular economy transition – Increasing recycled content, reusability, and reducing reliance on virgin materials, supporting the EU’s climate neutrality goals by 2050. 

📦The 7 key provisions you need to know 

The regulation is wide-ranging, covering every stage of the packaging lifecycle. Here are the main elements: 

1. Waste-reduction targets 

Member States must ensure that, compared to 2018 levels, packaging waste is reduced by: 

• 5 % by 2030 

• 10 % by 2035 

• 15 % by 2040 

These targets will apply to all materials, from plastics and paper to metals and glass. See the most recent EU packaging waste statistics.

2. Design for recyclability 

From 2030, all packaging must meet the European Commission’s design for recyclability criteria. Harmonised labelling will be mandatory, making it easier for consumers to separate waste correctly.  

If you sell fashion and textiles, you should already be setting up your Digital Product Passports for product labels. 

3. Reuse and refill obligations 

Businesses in certain sectors will be required to offer reusable or refillable packaging formats. This is expected to be particularly significant for the hospitality, retail, and e-commerce sectors. 

4. Empty space limits 

By 2030, grouped, transit, and e-commerce packaging must not contain more than 50 % empty space, helping to reduce material use and transport emissions. 

5. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 

Under EPR rules, producers (manufacturers, importers, retailers and sellers), who place packaging, packaged products, or relevant goods on the market for the first time in a given country, will bear the full cost of managing packaging waste, including collection, sorting, and recycling.

Fees will be modulated based on recyclability and recycled content, meaning better-designed packaging will cost less to place on the market. 

6. Recycled content mandates 

Plastic packaging will be subject to minimum recycled content requirements, with exact thresholds varying by application. 

7. Substance restrictions 

The PPWR bans the intentional use of certain hazardous substances in packaging, including PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). 

There are other considerations for restricted substances and items that are being shipped – read our quick guide. 

What’s the PPWR timeline?

While the PPWR came into force on 11 February 2025, most provisions apply from 12 August 2026. This gives businesses an 18-month window to adapt operations, redesign packaging, and align supply chains. 

Certain obligations – such as specific recycled content targets – will be phased in gradually through to 2040. The European Commission will also adopt secondary legislation to clarify technical standards, labelling formats, and calculation methodologies over the coming years. 

☘️ How Ireland’s EPR changes fit into PPWR principles

Ireland has long operated an EPR scheme for packaging through Repak. However, recent changes have strengthened and expanded these obligations: 

• Mandatory Repak membership: Since 1 January 2023, producers placing ≥ 10 tonnes of packaging on the market annually, with a turnover of ≥ €1 million, must join Repak. Self-compliance through local authorities is no longer an option. 

• Regular reporting and fees: Producers must submit data twice a year and pay eco-fees based on the quantity and type of packaging placed on the market. 

• Scope expansion: From 2025, Ireland’s EPR regime extends to more waste streams, including tyres, WEEE, batteries, and farm plastics. 

• Fee modulation: Following the PPWR model, eco-fees will increasingly be linked to packaging recyclability and recycled content, incentivising sustainable design choices. 

These changes fully align Ireland’s approach with the PPWR’s principles, creating a consistent compliance environment for cross-border businesses. 

👉 If you’re considering expanding into Ireland, now’s the time – see Amazon’s 2025 VAT registration offer for sellers.  

Next steps: 5 ways to stay compliant

If you produce, import, or distribute packaged goods in the EU – or sell online to EU consumers –  you should act now: 

1. Audit your packaging portfolio for materials and formats that will not meet future recyclability or empty space criteria. 

2. Engage with suppliers to secure compliant, recyclable, and reusable packaging designs. 

3. Plan for EPR fee modulation by modelling how eco-fees might change based on your packaging choices and recyclability performance. 

4. Prepare for labelling changes – Harmonised symbols require artwork updates and coordination of supply chains. 

5. If you haven’t already, join your national EPR scheme and begin reporting to ensure compliance before the deadlines. 

How can PPWR compliance benefit your business? 

While the PPWR will require significant investment, it also presents opportunities: 

• Competitive advantage – Early movers adopting high-recyclability, low-impact packaging can market themselves as leaders in sustainability. 

• Cost savings – Reducing materials, optimising logistics, and designing for reuse can cut operational costs over time. 

• Regulatory certainty – The regulation provides a consistent EU-wide framework, reducing the complexity of navigating multiple national rules. 

PPWR: your key takeaways 

The PPWR represents a step change in EU packaging policy.  Formally adopted in 2025, it sets ambitious targets and binding obligations to reshape how products are packaged, sold, and recycled. With enforcement beginning in August 2026, the time to prepare is now. 

Aligning early with PPWR requirements will ensure compliance, unlock efficiency gains, enhance brand reputation, and strengthen market positioning in a more sustainable European economy.