The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) becomes applicable on 12 August 2026. As a directly applicable regulation, this new EU packaging rule replaces a 30-year-old directive and applies identically across all 27 Member States, with no national transposition and no grace period for packaging placed on the market from 12 August.
This article explains what changes in August 2026, what follows on the staggered timeline, and what companies placing packaged goods on the EU market must do now.
What Is the PPWR?
The PPWR is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste. It was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 22 January 2025, entered into force on 11 February 2025. The Regulation becomes applicable on 12 August 2026. On that date it repeals the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC.
The key structural change is legal form. The old regime was a directive, which each Member State had to transpose into national law, producing 27 different versions of the same rules, with country-specific symbols, registers and reporting duties. The PPWR is a regulation, one harmonised set of requirements that applies directly and uniformly across the EU. For brands selling the same product in multiple markets, this EU packaging regulation removes much of that fragmentation.
The Regulation covers all packaging, regardless of material (plastic, paper, glass, metal, wood), and all packaging waste. Its objectives are to prevent unnecessary packaging, promote reuse and recycling, harmonise national measures to strengthen the single market, and support the EU’s circular-economy and 2050 climate-neutrality goals.
A Note on the Date: 12 August 2026
The application date is 12 August 2026. This is the date companies should plan around for the packaging regulation’s August 2026 obligations. Because the PPWR applies with no transitional grace period for newly placed stock, packaging placed on the market on or after that date must already comply.
Who Is Affected?
The PPWR applies to every economic operator placing packaging or packaged goods on the EU market – manufacturers, importers, distributors, and online marketplaces. There is no general exemption for small or micro enterprises as the specific obligations that apply depend on the role a company holds for each product. Both EU and non-EU companies placing packaging on the Union market have to comply with the PPWR.
Online marketplaces are explicitly named as responsible actors where they handle packaging or logistics on behalf of third-party sellers, closing gaps that previously varied between Member States.
What Applies From 12 August 2026
While the Regulation as a whole becomes applicable in August 2026, its requirements are phased in. The obligations with immediate effect from day one are the most important to prepare for are, among others:
- Substance restrictions: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are restricted in food-contact packaging.The presence of “substances of concern” in packaging must be minimised.
- Conformity assessment and EU Declaration of Conformity: Every packaging type placed on the market must undergo a conformity assessment (Article 38 and Annex VII) and be supported by an EU Declaration of Conformity (Article 39) and technical documentation.
- Tracking information: Manufacturers have to ensure that the packaging bears an element to allow its identification.
The PFAS restriction is the one obligation explicitly limited to food-contact packaging. The Declaration of Conformity, minimisation, recyclability and labelling obligations apply to packaging of non-food products, including cosmetics, on the same timeline.
What the PPWR Means for Cosmetics Brands?
Brand-owners and importers of cosmetic products must treat packaging compliance as part of their broader EU obligations under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Practical implications include:
- Documentation: An EU Declaration of Conformity and supporting technical documentation must be held for every cosmetic packaging format placed on the market from 12 August 2026.
- Substances: Packaging composition must respect the heavy-metal limit and minimise substances of concern. Suppliers’ declarations should be reviewed accordingly.
- Format restrictions: From 2030, certain single-use plastic formats listed in Annex V are restricted, relevant, for example, to hotel and travel toiletry miniatures.
- Design ahead: Recyclability grades, minimum recycled content and minimisation rules from 2030 typically need 12-24 months of lead time, so packaging redesign and recycled-content sourcing should begin well before the deadlines.
How Obelis Can Help
Obelis helps brands, manufacturers and importers navigate the PPWR alongside their wider EU obligations – from preparing Declarations of Conformity and reviewing packaging documentation to building a compliant roadmap. Our team can help ensure your packaging, and your products, reach and remain on the EU market compliantly.
For tailored support, contact the Obelis regulatory team today!
Sources
1. European Union – Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR), Official Journal. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj
2. European Commission – Packaging waste (policy overview and guidance). environment.ec.europa.eu
3. EU Circular Economy – The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: scope and application. circulareconomy.europa.eu
4. European Commission – PPWR Guidance document and FAQ (March 2026). environment.ec.europa.eu
5. UK Government (business.gov.uk) – EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation guidance for exporters. business.gov.uk