PPWR Law: Revolutionizing Packaging, Challenges & Opportunities Ahead
The Packaging Waste Reduction (PPWR) law, set to revolutionize packaging globally, presents both challenges and opportunities. It's the most significant packaging legislation in over three decades, affecting supply chains and strategies worldwide. With key requirements kicking in as early as 2026, companies are urged to lead the transformation and collaborate to meet its demands.
The PPWR, applying to all packaging materials and the entire value chain, requires companies to step up. They must ensure packaging is recyclable in practice, not just in design, and prove it within existing infrastructure. Challenges persist around obtaining high-quality recycled materials and infrastructure gaps. The law's influence is already being felt in the UK, with differences in labelling, EPR, and food contact regulations affecting market access and compliance timelines.
Companies must address these challenges through industry collaboration. They should take an active role in compliance, operational strategies, and reputation. Co-packers, as critical executors of compliance, are becoming increasingly important as brand owners outsource production and packing. The PPWR assigns responsibilities across the supply chain, including documentation, extended producer responsibility, packaging minimization, labelling, and traceability.
The PPWR's impact is undeniable, with key requirements starting as early as 2026. Companies must lead the transformation, collaborate, and comply to ensure a sustainable future for packaging. The confirmed partner companies for the Sustainable Packaging Summit 2025 in Utrecht, from November 10 to 12, including Henkel, Kelpi, Paptic, and Toppan, demonstrate the industry's commitment to meeting these challenges head-on.
