PPWR
READY
PACKAGING
We put your packaging portfolio to the test, develop your packaging strategy and optimize all packaging together step by step until 2030.
Regulatory-compliant packaging – thanks to an all-round package.
The EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) came into force on February 11, 2025 and its application begins on August 12, 2026. Between the declaration of conformity, minimum recycled content and recyclability, it’s easy to lose track of what requirements are now being placed on packaging and how they affect packaging design.
Using a pragmatic and technically sound approach, we analyze your portfolio, identify action steps and implement them together with your team. Like here for Bad Heilbrunner, for example.
1st Packaging Checkup – Where do we stand?
Analysis of the portfolio
Regulation Check
Creation of a comprehensible overview
2 Agenda 2030 – Where do we need/want to go?
Packaging strategy
Guidelines & lines of action
3. innovation sprints – How do we achieve our goal?
Co-creation workshop on site
Development of new product & packaging concepts
Implementation of the concepts
Let’s make your packaging future-ready.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about the PPWR and the Packaging Checkup
What is the PPWR?
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is a planned EU regulation to standardize and tighten regulations on packaging and packaging waste. It replaces the previous Packaging Directive (94/62/EC) and will be gradually implemented from August 2026.
Key objectives of the PPWR are:
– Reduction of packaging waste in the EU
– Promotion of reuse, recycling and the circular economy
– Harmonization of national rules (less regulatory fragmentation)
– More transparency and consumer information
The regulation will be directly applicable – without national transposition laws. This means that companies will have to design their packaging solutions to be uniformly compliant throughout the EU.
Who is affected by the PPWR?
The regulation affects practically all companies that place packaging on the market – especially in the following roles:
– Brand owners and manufacturers of consumer goods (FMCG)
– Packers, bottlers and retailers
– Importers and producers of packaging or packaging materials
– E-commerce and mail order companies (incl. third country shipping to the EU)
Attention! The PPWR also affects small companies!
The regulation is product-related, not company-related. Smaller brands and start-ups must also comply with the new rules as soon as they place packaging on the market in the EU.
What are the key contents of the PPWR?
The PPWR contains a large number of specific requirements – among others:
Design-for-recycling obligation: packaging must be designed to be recyclable. This means that from 2030, at least 70% of it must consist of components that are theoretically recyclable. Composite films, for example, are not. From 2035, it must then be demonstrated that recycling also takes place “at scale”, i.e. that relevant material flows and recovery routes exist and are used efficiently.
Material bans and restrictions: e.g. for unnecessary multiple packaging
Mandatory minimum recyclate content: depending on the type of packaging and material, there are requirements for the use of recyclates. The 10% recyclate quota, which will also apply to plastic packaging with direct food contact from 2030, is currently still particularly controversial
Reuse rates: mandatory targets for reusable packaging in the B2C and B2B sectors
Transparency requirements and labeling obligations: the PPWR requires packaging to be linked to digital information on material composition, recycling rates, reusability, etc. in future. As this is also required by the Digital Product Passport (Link Service), QR codes or similar must be integrated into the artwork. In addition, clearer information should be provided on the packaging itself, such as pictograms on material composition. EmpCo (link) is another law in the same vein. The details are still being renegotiated by the Commission, but the obligation to use the QR code will come into force in 2026.
Stricter reporting and monitoring obligations along the entire supply chain – packaging manufacturers will have to draw up a declaration of conformity for their products and make it available to distributors (brands) as early as 2026
The specific requirements depend on the product category, packaging type and market role. This makes a well-founded overview all the more important.
What is the difference to the previous Packaging Directive?
The Packaging Directive (94/62/EC) was a legally less binding framework that was implemented differently by the member states. The PPWR is a regulation – and therefore directly applicable in all EU countries. It brings harmonized standards and stricter requirements. All distributors in the EU and importers into the EU market must comply with it.
Do we have to completely redevelop our packaging?
Not necessarily. Targeted adjustments are often sufficient (e.g. mono-material instead of composite, omission of certain decorative elements, optimization of volumes). The check-up identifies where there is a need for action – and where there is not. A traffic light system is used to categorize according to urgency.
Does the checkup replace a legal opinion?
No. The Packaging Checkup is a practice-oriented design and material analysis. It does not replace legal advice, but provides a sound basis for compliance assessments and strategic decisions – also in collaboration with your legal team.