Countdown To The New EU Packaging And Packaging Waste Regulation: Compliance Considerations

Beginning Aug. 12, 2026, the new European Union Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) (Regulation (EU) 2025/40 - PPWR) will replace the Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC (PPWD). The PPWR marks a fundamental shift from the PPWD by creating a uniform, directly applicable EU framework for packaging. Under the regulation, Member States are barred from introducing additional national packaging requirements unless explicitly permitted by the PPWR.

For an overview of the PPWR's background and its specific implications for e-commerce businesses, see our prior client alert from 2025.

The PPWR aims to reduce packaging and packaging waste and support a circular packaging economy across the EU by setting requirements covering the entire packaging life cycle, including strict rules on recyclability, recycled content, labeling, and waste reduction. While the PPWR applies from Aug. 12, many substantive obligations will become applicable gradually between 2027 and 2040.