Since 11 February 2025, it has been in force: the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). It establishes the new binding legal framework for all packaging placed on the EU market and marks a decisive turning point for the European circular economy. The aim is to reduce packaging waste, strengthen recycling and promote reuse – with concrete requirements and ambitious targets.

A unified framework, clear obligations – a paradigm shift

The PPWR replaces the patchwork of national packaging laws with a directly applicable EU regulation. It differentiates between stakeholder groups such as manufacturers, producers, importers or distributors – but above all, it sets out concrete obligations for anyone placing packaging on the EU market for the first time.

It focuses on five core objectives:

• Prevention of packaging waste
• Recyclability and Design for Recycling
• Promotion of reuse systems
• Use of recyclates in plastic packaging
• Clear labelling and consumer information

In future, packaging must be either recyclable (Art. 6), compostable (Art. 9) or reusable (Art. 11). For businesses, this means new legal obligations – but also real opportunities for differentiation, innovation, sustainable transformation and resource conservation.

Core obligations of the PPWR: reduce, reuse, recycle

The PPWR is built on the three central principles of the circular economy – reduce, reuse, recycle:

► Reduce – actively minimising packaging

Businesses will be required to design packaging more efficiently, avoid over-packaging and reduce unnecessary volume. For users of industrial and commercial packaging, this is already standard practice for logistical and cost reasons, but PPWR will formalise and strengthen these requirements.

Businesses using packaging for internal and external transport of goods must ensure that a certain proportion is reusable. For transport packaging and (transported) sales packaging used within corporate groups or for delivery within an EU member state, a mandatory 100% reuse requirement will apply from 2030.

Producers (including manufacturers, importers, fillers, retailers, etc.) must participate in or organise take-back and collection systems. RIGK customers fulfil these obligations by licensing their packaging through RIGK’s industrial take-back systems (e.g. RIGK-/RIGK-G-SYSTEM, PAMIRA SYSTEM, PICKUP SYSTEM, VerenA SYSTEM). Specifically, RIGK supports producers in:

• registering in every member state where they place packaging on the market (Art. 44),
• appointing an authorised representative if necessary (Art. 44.3),
• documenting and declaring packaging compliance (Art. 38-39).

Packaging must be designed to:

• be easily sortable and fully recyclable,
• fit into specific waste streams,
• not negatively affect the recyclability of other materials.

Mandatory minimum recycled content quotas will also apply (Art. 7), including:

• 30% for PET plastic packaging (food-contact) by 2030,
• 35% for other plastic packaging by 2030.

RIGK’s subsidiary​​​​​​​ plastship supports businesses with digital solutions, recyclate sourcing and collaborative projects for material quality assurance.

The roadmap: what’s next – and Germany’s approach​​​​​​​

The PPWR will be phased in gradually, with key deadlines between 2025 and 2040. These include new registration and financing obligations (from 2026), labelling requirements (from 2028), performance levels for recyclability (from 2030), binding targets for recycled content, reuse, and waste prevention (from 2030), and a complete transition to recyclable packaging by 2038.