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PPWR Compliance Check 2025

The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) requires companies to reconsider their standard packaging practices and presents them with some challenges. With our interactive PPWR Compliance Check, you can quickly determine which requirements apply to you and identify areas where you can take action in advance. This will allow you not only to meet the new regulations, but also to use them as an opportunity!

  • Dieser Artikel wurde am 10. September 2025 aktualisiert.
T

he PPWR marks a new chapter in EU packaging policy. The plan is to reduce waste, increase recycling, and establish a true circular economy.

For companies, this means that packaging will have to be scrutinized more closely and designed more sustainably in the future. For companies, this means that packaging will have to be scrutinized and designed more closely and sustainably in the future. Additionally, compliance with these standards must be demonstrated in a traceable and transparent manner.

Our interactive PPWR Compliance Check gives you an overview of your upcoming obligations and explains how you can start preparing today!

PPWR Compliance

PPWR Compliance

To the PPWR Check

PPWR compliance: When will which companies be affected?

Packaging is an issue in almost every industry, including manufacturing, (online) retail, and services. This is precisely why the PPWR targets not only at large corporations but also small and medium-sized enterprises.

In short, anyone who manufactures, fills, imports, sells, or uses packaging must comply with the new regulations.

The following are primarily affected:

List icon ESG Compliance Manufacturers / producers: Any business that manufactures or has manufactured its own packaging or packaged products.

List icon ESG Compliance Importers: Companies that import packaged goods from non-EU countries into the EU.

List icon ESG Compliance Retailers / distributors: Businesses that sell packaged products, ranging from brick-and-mortar retailers to online shops, marketplace sellers, and dropshipping providers.

List icon ESG Compliance Fillers / service providers: Companies that fill products into packaging or offer related services.

List icon ESG Compliance Gastronomy businesses: Restaurants, cafés, and delivery services that use packaging to deliver food.

The PPWR took effect on February 11, 2025. Although this marked the beginning of new packaging requirements, companies still have time to prepare.

The EU has provided a 18-month transition period: Until August 12, 2026, businesses can review their processes, adjust their initial packaging, and align their internal operations with the upcoming rules.

After August 12, 2026 the PPWR requirements will apply to all companies working with packaging in any form. Those who have not used this time to prepare must expect inspections and possible consequences.

Timeline ppwr requirements

Tasks: What exactly does the PPWR require?

The PPWR is more than just another regulatory framework. It fundamentally changes how packaging is conceived, manufactured, used, and disposed of in the EU. The goal is to create a true circular economy in which resources are used optimally.

Specifically, this means: In the future, companies will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of a package. This includes everything from design and material choice to disposal and recycling.

The key requirements of the PPWR are:

The amount of packaging waste in the EU should decrease by 15% by 2040 compared to 2018 levels. Thus, the regulation relies not only on better recycling, but also on genuinely reducing the volume of packaging.

Manufacturers, importers, and retailers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their packaging, including collection, sorting, and recycling. They will also finance the corresponding systems.

By 2030, food and beverage businesses must offer some of their takeout items in reusable packaging. Additionally, access to free tap water will be increased to reduce the use of disposable bottles.

Consumers should be able to dispose of packaging more easily and correctly. To this end, the PPWR introduces uniform labeling, such as symbols or QR codes containing recycling information.

Companies must provide written proof that their packaging complies with the PPWR. These declarations are part of market surveillance and may be inspected.

Starting in 2030, only recyclable or reusable packaging may be sold. The standard is the “design for recycling” principle. Packaging must be designed so that it can be efficiently processed in a recycling system.

In the future, plastic packaging will have to contain mandatory proportions of recycled materials. The initial requirements will take effect in 2025, starting with a 30% minimum for PET bottles. Starting in 2030, all plastic packaging must contain a minimum of 35% recycled content.

In the future, materials that heavily burden the environment and health, such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), will be restricted or banned entirely.

Packaging should be designed to be easily separable and recyclable. Avoid complex material composites that hinder recycling.

Clearly, the PPWR is not a small step, but rather a major upheaval that will have a sustainable impact on the future. It establishes sustainability as a binding guideline, forcing companies to view packaging as more than just an outer shell and as part of a closed loop. Companies that start implementing these changes early will not only ensure legal security, but also gain a clear competitive advantage.

Are you looking for external support with packaging regulations? We can help you select a suitable PPWR software, for example. 

Interactive PPWR Check: Are you affected by the regulation?

The check provides an initial overview of which areas of the PPWR will be relevant to your company and where you should start.

It is important to note: The more detailed the information, the more precisely we can assess which obligations apply to you, providing you with more accurate results for initial orientation.

The best part? Our PPWR Check is free and non-binding. It is based on structured data queries and a personal review. Simply fill out the form below!

Interactive Check: PPWR Compliance

  • Letztes Update am 10. September 2025

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Your ESG and PPWR expert

Rubina Brunst is the specialist for PPWR matchings at Matchilla. She supports companies in finding the right software solutions and regularly shares her experiences from many personal conversations in articles in MatchZINE.

CSRD, Lieferketten, EUDR, ESPR, PPWR, CBAM & Co. sind Themen, die alle Unternehmen betreffen. Wir teilen im MatchZINE unser geballtes Wissen aus über 700 Matchings für Mittelständler und Konzerne.

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