PPWR 2026 marks an important turning point for the European packaging industry. As of 12 August 2026, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, known as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, has started to apply: a new regulatory framework designed to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and support an increasingly circular model.
But what does this mean in practical terms for companies? The first point to clarify is that the PPWR does not introduce all its obligations at the same time. The Regulation became applicable in 2026, while several requirements will be introduced progressively over the coming years, with some of the most significant deadlines starting from 2030.
The direction, however, is already very clear: packaging must be designed to use resources more efficiently, reduce waste and improve recyclability, taking into account the entire life cycle of the pack. For manufacturers and companies using packaging, sustainable packaging is therefore becoming less and less a choice linked solely to brand positioning and increasingly a factor to be considered from the earliest stages of design.
Reducing weight and volume: packaging starts with design
One of the key principles of the new Regulation concerns the reduction of packaging.
By 2030, manufacturers and importers will have to ensure that the weight and volume of packaging are reduced to the minimum necessary to guarantee its functionality. The PPWR also addresses elements designed solely to increase the perceived size of a product, such as double walls, false bottoms or unnecessary layers, subject to the specific exceptions provided for by the Regulation.
This does not simply mean using “less packaging”. It means designing packaging better, finding the right balance between the amount of material used, product protection, logistics requirements, safety and packaging performance.
This principle is particularly relevant to the e-commerce sector. According to the Regulation, from 2030 and in line with the deadlines established by the legislation, grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging will be required to comply with a maximum empty-space ratio of 50%.
The concept of right sizing, meaning the design of packaging that is proportionate to the product it contains, therefore becomes even more important. Reducing unused space can mean using less material, optimising transport and decreasing the overall volume of shipments.
PPWR: wow companies can prepare for change
Another key area of the PPWR concerns the recyclability of packaging.
From 2030, the Regulation requires packaging placed on the market to be recyclable according to the criteria established by the new legislation. For plastic packaging, minimum percentages of recycled content will also be introduced, varying according to the type of packaging and increasing over time.
The transition towards a circular economy therefore directly affects the way packaging is designed: materials, structure, the separability of components, the amount of material used and end-of-life management are becoming increasingly interconnected aspects.
For companies, preparing for PPWR 2026 therefore means going beyond simply checking whether a packaging solution is compliant once it has already been produced. The new Regulation reinforces the importance of intervening upstream, using design as a tool to balance product protection, production and logistics efficiency, communication and environmental requirements.
This transformation affects the entire supply chain and will continue to shape the market in the years ahead. In this context, designing packaging increasingly means considering its entire life cycle from the outset, anticipating requirements that will gradually become an integral part of the way packaging is produced, used and managed across Europe.
