What is the PPWR?

The PPWR is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste. It has applied directly in all EU member states since 12 August 2026 and replaces Packaging Directive 94/62/EC. It governs packaging across its entire life cycle: substances, recyclability, recycled content, reuse, packaging minimisation, labelling and extended producer responsibility.

The decisive difference from the previous directive lies in its legal form. A directive has to be transposed into national law by each member state, which led to 27 different interpretations. A regulation applies directly: the same requirement applies word for word in Berlin, Barcelona and Bucharest. National rules such as the German Packaging Act are being adapted, but this does not change the direct applicability of the regulation itself.