Overview of Key Obligations by Year
An indicative overview of PPWR milestones for economic operators placing packaging or packaged products on the European Union market.
2026
Key Obligations Applicable from 12 August 2026
Article 5 - Requirements for Substances in Packaging
- The sum of concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) shall not exceed 100 mg/kg.
- The presence of substances of concern in packaging shall be minimised.
- PFAS will be prohibited in food-contact packaging.
EU Declaration of Conformity for Packaging
Obligation to prepare an EU Declaration of Conformity for packaging.
Packaging Labelling
Identification of the manufacturer and identification of the packaging.
2028
Harmonised Packaging Labelling
Article 12 - Packaging Labelling
Mandatory harmonised labelling of packaging indicating its material
composition.
2029
Eco-modulation of EPR Fees
Eco-modulation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees based
on packaging design for recycling and recyclability performance
grades.
2030
Recyclability, Packaging Minimisation and Market Restrictions
Recyclability
Packaging must be recyclable and achieve Recyclability Performance
Grade A, B, or C.
Packaging Minimisation
Reduction of unnecessary empty space in packaging.
Restrictions on Certain Plastic Packaging Formats
Certain specified plastic packaging formats will no longer be
permitted to be placed on the market.
2031
Eco-modulation Based on Recycling Criteria
Eco-modulation of EPR fees based on large-scale recycling criteria.
2035
Recycling at Scale
Recyclability performance will be assessed based on evidence of
recycling at scale.
2038
Higher Recyclability Performance Requirements
Packaging must achieve Recyclability Performance Grade A or B only.
PPWR Overview of Key Milestones
An overview of the most important obligations and regulatory provisions organised by article and implementation year.
Important Changes Effective from 12 August 2026
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The first PPWR obligations become applicable on 12 August 2026
An overview of the most significant changes and requirements that companies should start preparing for today.
Next Step
Continue to the PPWR Documents section, where you can find an overview of available guidance materials, links, and downloadable resources.
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