The Green Deal brings major challenges.

If you won’t listen, you’ll have to feel the consequences. At least, that’s how the EU sees it when it comes to sustainable packaging and packaging communication. Through a series of laws and directives under the European Green Deal
, policymakers are seeking to promote the circular economy and curb environmental pollution. Consumers are also set to benefit—but for manufacturers and brands, stricter regulations will take effect in August 2026.

The biggest “bogeyman” here is the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, or PPWR for short. Whereas, until now, a “directive” set requirements for all packaging-related issues—which could be implemented individually by each country—the PPWR applies the same rules to everyone. The requirements are becoming law, and across the entire EU market, companies will have to deal with minimum recycled content requirements, recyclability quotas, and many other regulations in the future. The law officially went into effect on February 10, 2025, and even though many provisions won’t take effect until 2030, the first regulations will come into force as early as August 2026. For example, a declaration of conformity must already be prepared for every piece of packaging, confirming that it is permitted to be placed on the market. For food-contact packaging, this declaration must also demonstrate that harmful substances such as PFAS do not exceed the established limits. The first requirements for the proper labeling of packaging are also already in effect. We provide in-depth guidance on the PPWR and offer support in adapting your strategy and packaging.

However, it is not just the packaging itself that is affected by the new laws. Communication ON and ABOUT the packaging will also need to be adapted in the future. This is required by laws under the ECGT (“Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition”), often abbreviated as EmpCo. Set to take effect in March 2024 and become mandatory in September 2026, these laws require that vague, misleading, and overly general environmental claims be avoided. Claims such as “green,” “sustainable,” or “climate-neutral” must be specified and verifiable. For packaging, this means that numerous slogans, seals, and advertising claims will need to be adapted. The specifications must appear on the same medium, and every environmental claim must be verifiable (preferably by an independent third party). Since this currently affects over 50% of EU products, we also offer support in this area.
Communication on packaging would be regulated even more strictly by the“Green Claims Directive,” which has currently been put on hold, however, because the bureaucratic burden on companies is already very high due to the other legislative changes.