PPWR: What it means for your packaging and how to prepare
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Introduction
What will PPWR mean for your packaging – and what should you be doing about it today?
PPWR is reshaping the rules for packaging across Europe. The direction is clear: less unnecessary packaging, better recyclability, more reuse and clearer responsibility for packaging throughout its lifecycle.
For brands, this means that packaging choices made today need to work with the requirements of tomorrow. In this insight, we break down what PPWR means in practice, the key requirements and timelines to be aware of, and how you can start preparing your packaging for the changes ahead.
What is PPWR?
PPWR stands for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation – the EU’s new framework for making packaging more circular and reducing its environmental impact across Europe.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 entered into force on 11 February 2025 and has applied across the EU since 12 August 2026. But PPWR is about more than compliance. It is part of a broader transition towards a circular economy, using fewer resources, generating less waste and contributing to the EU’s ambition of climate neutrality by 2050.
To understand why such a major change to packaging regulation was needed, it helps to start with the challenges PPWR is designed to address.
The challenges
Europe is generating more packaging waste than ever
In 2024, the EU generated around 181 kg of packaging waste per person according to the European Commission. Without action, packaging waste is expected to continue growing.
Too much unnecessary and oversized packaging
Oversized boxes filled with empty space or unnecessary void fill are a familiar example of the problem: packaging that is larger or heavier than needed consumes more resources and increases its environmental footprint.
Packaging that is difficult to recycle
We have all stood by the recycling bin wondering: what goes where, and do I need to separate the materials? Packaging combining multiple materials can be difficult to sort and recycle, increasing the risk of incorrect sorting, incineration or landfill.
High use of virgin raw materials
Packaging consumes significant quantities of primary resources. PPWR notes that packaging accounts for around 40% of plastics and 50% of paper used in the EU. Uptake of recycled material, particularly recycled plastic, has also been too low.
Source: PPWR – Regulation (EU) 2025/40Different rules across Europe
Different national packaging requirements have created complexity, additional costs and uneven conditions for competition across Europe. A more harmonised EU framework was needed.
Together, these challenges point to the need for a fundamental shift in how packaging is designed, used and managed across Europe.
The overall ambition of PPWR can be summarised in three areas:
What PPWR aims to achieve
Less packaging
Reduce unnecessary packaging and packaging waste.
More circular packaging
Design packaging for recycling and reuse, increase recycled content and reduce reliance on virgin resources.
One EU framework
Create common packaging rules across Europe, with clearer responsibilities for businesses throughout the packaging lifecycle.
When will the changes happen?
PPWR will not transform packaging overnight. The requirements are being introduced in stages, giving businesses time to adapt – but packaging decisions made today increasingly need to consider what is coming next.
2026 – PPWR starts to apply
From 12 August 2026, the new EU packaging framework applies, bringing new compliance, documentation and producer responsibility requirements.
2028 onwards – Clearer information and less empty space
New requirements will progressively affect how packaging is labelled and designed, with greater focus on clear recycling information and reducing unnecessary empty space.
2030 – A major milestone for packaging
From 2030 onwards, key requirements include:
meeting new design-for-recycling requirements
minimising packaging weight and volume
limiting empty space for certain packaging
meeting minimum recycled-content requirements for plastic packaging
meeting new reuse requirements for certain applications
Certain single-use plastic packaging formats will also be restricted.
2035 – Recyclable in practice
Being designed for recycling will no longer be enough. Packaging will also need to meet requirements for being recycled at scale.
2038–2040 – Requirements tighten further
Recyclability requirements become stricter, while recycled-content and reuse targets increase further.
For packaging, this means doing more with less: using less material, designing for better recyclability, reducing reliance on virgin plastics and moving towards more circular material choices.
What does this mean for your packaging?
PPWR is setting the direction for how tomorrow’s packaging will be designed and what it will take to remain compliant, resource-efficient and competitive. While many requirements will be introduced gradually, packaging developed today may still be in use when stricter rules apply.
This makes it important to consider the direction of PPWR already when making packaging decisions today. The aim should not only be to meet current requirements, but to develop packaging that is better prepared for what is coming next.
Five questions to ask about your packaging today
Could you use less material?
Can the same level of protection be achieved with less packaging, lower weight or fewer components?Could your packaging be better right-sized?
Consider whether packaging designed around the product could reduce empty space, material use and unnecessary void fill.Is it easy to recycle?
Consider what happens after use. Choose materials and designs that are easy to sort and recycle, and avoid unnecessary material combinations.Could you make a more circular material choice?
Where technically and commercially suitable, explore fibre-based materials and other recyclable alternatives, as well as opportunities to increase recycled content.Will today’s solution work tomorrow?
Consider upcoming requirements on recyclability, minimisation, recycled content and reuse – not only what is required today.
Start with the product. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Resource-efficient packaging starts with understanding the product, its protection needs and its journey through the supply chain, and designing the packaging around them.
Ready to future-proof your packaging?
The transition towards more circular packaging does not need to start with a complete redesign. It starts with making smarter choices about materials, design and how much packaging is actually needed.
At Ryleon, we work with customers to develop packaging around the product and its protection needs – helping customers replace plastic with fibre-based alternatives where suitable, increase the use of recycled materials and reduce unnecessary material through customised, right-sized designs. The result is packaging that protects what matters while using resources more efficiently and remaining easy to recycle after use.
Whether you are looking to improve an existing solution or rethink your packaging from the ground up, we can help you take the next step towards packaging that is better prepared for the future.
About Ryleon
Ryleon is a European company specialising in sustainable protective packaging and authenticity solutions. With sites across Europe, we combine expertise in moulded fibre, corrugated cardboard and other sustainable materials to create packaging that protects products throughout the supply chain. Our authenticity solutions help safeguard product integrity and provide traceability. Together, we help customers solve packaging and security challenges while transitioning to more sustainable alternatives.
Protecting what matters – our customers’ products and the world we live in.
