The Green Deal brings major challenges.

If you don’t want to hear, you have to feel. At least that’s how the EU sees it when it comes to sustainable packaging and packaging communication. This is because politicians are trying to promote the circular economy and reduce environmental pollution with a series of laws and directives as part of the European Green Deal
. Consumers should also benefit from this – for manufacturers and brands, on the other hand, stricter times are dawning.

Das größte “Schreckgespenst” ist dabei die Packaging und Packaging Waste Regulation, kurz PPWR. Während bis dato noch eine “Directive” Vorgaben zu allen Verpackungsthemen stellte, die aber in den einzelnen Ländern individuell umgesetzt werden konnten, gilt bei der PPWR gleiches Recht für alle. Die Vorgaben werden zu Gesetzen, und auf dem gesamten EU-Markt wird man sich in Zukunft mit Mindestrezyklatanteilen, Recyclingfähigkeits-Quoten und vielen weiteren Regelungen beschäftigen müssen. Am 10. Februar 2025 ist das Gesetz offiziell in Kraft getreten, und auch wenn vieles erst ab 2030 gilt und Details noch definiert werden, sollte man lieber früher als später handeln. Wir beschäftigen uns natürlich ausführlich mit der PPWR und liefern Unterstützung bei der Anpassung von Strategie und Verpackung.

However, it is not only the packaging itself that is affected by the new laws. Communication ON and ABOUT the packaging must also be adapted in future. This is due to legislation under the ECGT (“Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition“). With its entry into force in March 24 and mandatory application from September 26, it stipulates that vague, misleading and overly general environmental claims must be avoided. Claims such as “green”, “sustainable” or “climate neutral” must be specified and verifiable. The“Green Claims Directive“, which is currently still in the trilogue negotiations, regulates the whole thing even more strictly. For packaging, this means that numerous slogans, seals and advertising promises will have to be adapted. The specification must be made on the same medium and every environmental claim must be verifiable (preferably by independent third parties). As this will affect over 50% of EU products, we already have a solution for this. 🙂

Our conclusion: The new laws will be a mammoth task for the entire industry, as they require conversion and investment in production and recycling. Nevertheless, we believe it is right and important to take this step in order to operate sustainably in the long term .