The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 2025/40 (PPWR) regulates what kind of packaging can be placed on the EU market, as well as packaging waste management and prevention measures.
The European Commission provides support and resources for Member States, businesses and other stakeholders, to help them understand and comply with the rules.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Packaging and Packing Waste Regulation will be available soon here.
Furthermore, a Commission Guidance document will be published in due course, setting out the Commission’s legal interpretation of key provisions.
Actions
The Regulation empowers the Commission to facilitate the transition to the new rules, balancing environmental ambition with economic feasibility.
- A delegated act exempting economic operators using pallet wrappings and straps from the 100% reuse targets for transport packaging was adopted in February 2026.
- The Commission is currently preparing an implementing act on packaging labelling for waste sorting (as well as other labels, including those for reusable packaging and for packaging containing recycled or bio-based content).
- The Commission is also working on a package of measures on recycled content in plastic packaging. This will include the methodology for calculating and verifying recycled content, sustainability criteria for recycling processes, and rules for the application of equivalence clauses.
- The Commission will request the development of standards for home- and industrial composting of packaging.
Stakeholder involvement
The Expert Group on Waste provides advice regarding the development and implementation of legislation relating to packaging waste.
Competent national authorities
Member States or countries designate one or more competent authorities responsible for implementing and enforcing certain obligations under the PPWR.
See below for a list of the competent authorities already notified to the Commission in accordance with Article 40(3) PPWR.
Belgium
The Interregional Packaging Commission (IRPC)
Gaucheretstraat 92-94
B-1030 Brussel
Email: info
ivcie [dot] be (info[at]ivcie[dot]be)
Czechia
Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic
Vršovická 1442/65
100 10 Prague 10
Czech Republic
Email: info
Phone: +420 267 121 111
Website: www.mzp.gov.cz
Denmark
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Lerchesgade 35, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
Email: mst
Phone: + 45 72 54 40 00
Germany
Estonia
The Ministry of Climate (for implementation of the PPWR in Estonia):
Suur-Ameerika 1, 10122 Tallinn, Estonia
Email: info
The Environmental Board of the Republic of Estonia (for market surveillance):
Roheline 64, 80010 Pärnu, Estonia
Email: info
The Environmental Agency (for collection, analysis, and reporting of data in accordance with the requirements of the PPWR):
Mustamäe tee 33, 10616 Tallinn, Estonia
Email: kaur
- Ireland
The Environmental Protection Agency (for implementation and enforcement of the obligations set out in Articles 53, 54, 56 and 57 PPWR)
Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Y35 W821, Ireland
- The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (for implementation and enforcement of the obligations set out in Articles 6(10), 29(1) to (7) and (9), 30, 31, 34, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 and 55 PPWR)
Tom Johnson House, Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 K7X4, Ireland - The Local Authorities (for implementation and enforcement of the obligations set out in Articles 32 and 33 PPWR)
France
Direction générale de la prévention des risques
Tour Séquoia 1 place Carpeaux 92800 Puteaux France
Croatia
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition
Radnička cesta 80
HR - 10 000 Zagreb
Phone: +385 (01) 3717-125
Fax: +385 (01) 3717-135
Email: okolis [dot] otpad
Website: https://mzozt.gov.hr/
Lithuania
Environmental Protection Agency
A. Juozapavičiaus St. 9, LT-09311 Vilnius, Lithuania
Email: aaa
Environmental Protection Department under the Ministry of Environment
Smolensko St. 15, LT-03201 Vilnius, Lithuania
Email: info
Temporary contact point for the implementation of Article 6(10):
Ministry of Environment
A. Jakšto St. 4, LT-01105 Vilnius, Lithuania
Email: info
Luxembourg*
Administration de l'Environnement
1, Avenue du Rock'n'roll, L-4361 Esch-sur-Alzette* Provisional designation. The final designation will be decided in the context of a national law implementing the PPWR.
- Netherlands
Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
PO Box 16191
2500 BD The HagueEmail: PPWR
- Rijkswaterstaat
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
PO Box 2232
3500 GE Utrecht
Austria
Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management
Contact for implementation: Dept. V/2
Contact for enforcement: Dept. V/6
Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Wien
Email for implementation: v2
Email for enforcement: v6
- Slovenia
The authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the obligations under Article 40(1) is:
Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy
Langusova ulica 4
1000 Ljubljana
Phone: +386 1 478 82 00
Email: gp [dot] mope
Registration and reporting are carried out by the body within the Ministry:
Slovenian Environment Agency
Vojkova 1b
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 1 4784 000
Email: gp [dot] arso
Sweden
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: +46 10 698 10 00
Email: registrator
Norway
Norwegian Environment Authority, under the Ministry of Climate and Environment
The Norwegian Environment Agency, P.O. Box 5672 Torgarden, N-7485 Trondheim, Norway
Phone: +47 73 58 05 00
Email: postmiljodir [dot] no (post[at]miljodir[dot]no) / firstname [dot] lastname
miljodir [dot] no (firstname[dot]lastname[at]miljodir[dot]no)
United Kingdom
Secretary of State on behalf of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building, Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF, United Kingdom
Timeline
- 22 January 2025PPWR Publication in the OJ
- 11 February 2025PPWR Entry into force
- 12 February 2026Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) registration and reporting format.
Implementing act Art. 44(14)
Art. 9(6) –Standard on industrial composting and for a new standard on home-composting
- 25 February 2026Delegated Act concerning pallet wrappings and straps
- 12 August 2026Harmonised labels for reusable packaging, DRS, recycled content and consumer sorting, and labels for waste receptacles
Implementing act Art. 12(6) and Art. 13(2)
- 12 August 2026Digital labelling for identifying material composition of packaging
- 31 December 2026Methodology for the calculation and verification of recycled content
Implementing act Art. 7(8)
- 31 December 2026Sustainability criteria for plastic recycling technologies.
Delegated act Art. 7(9)
Report on the presence of substances of concern in packaging, Art. 5(2)
- 31 December 2026Methodology for assessing equivalence of recycled content rules in third countries
Implementing act Art. 7(10)
- 12 February 2027Reporting to the Commission
Implementing act Art. 56(7)
Art. 10(3) – Standardisation request on packaging minimisation
Art. 25(6) – Guidelines on Annex V
Art. 29(8) – Guidelines on beverages covered by the obligation to meet reuse targets
Art. 31(7) – COM to establish European Observatory on Re-use
- 30 June 2027Calculation rules on reuse targets
Implementing act Art. 30(4)
- 01 January 2028Design for recycling criteria
Delegated acts Art. 6(4)
Art. 7(12) – Evaluation of the need for derogations from recycled content targets
- 12 February 2028Methodology for empty space ratio
Implementing act Art. 24(2)
Report on bio-based plastics, Art. 8
- 01 January 2030Recycled at scale methodology
Implementing acts Art. 6(5)
- 12 February 2030Review of PFAS restrictions
Art. 5(5) – review of PFAS restrictions
- 12 February 2032Report reviewing the implementation of 2030 recycled content targets
Report reviewing the implementation of 2030 recycled content targets, Art. 7(14)
Art. 24(6) – Review empty space ratio
- 12 August 2033Evaluation of hazardous substances
Art. 5(9) – Evaluation of hazardous substances
- 12 August 2034General evaluation
Art. 69 – General evaluation