When do the PPWR requirements apply?

The PPWR has applied since 12 August 2026. It entered into force on 11 February 2025 and became applicable after an 18-month transition period. The individual requirements take effect in stages:

• Since 12/08/2026: substance restrictions including the PFAS limits for food-contact packaging, the basic recyclability requirement under Article 6(1), and the obligations of economic operators regarding conformity assessment, technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity for those requirements that already apply
• From 12/08/2028 at the earliest: harmonised labelling of material composition
• From 01/01/2030 at the earliest: harmonised design-for-recycling criteria and recyclability performance grades, plus the first minimum recycled content targets for plastic packaging
• From 01/01/2035 at the earliest: additional assessment of whether packaging is recycled at scale
• From 01/01/2038: only packaging in recyclability grades A or B may be placed on the market
• From 01/01/2040: second stage of minimum recycled content targets

Several of these dates are lower limits rather than binding calendar dates. The design-for-recycling criteria, for example, apply from 1 January 2030 or 24 months after the corresponding delegated act enters into force, whichever is later. For companies this means the requirements are settled; the exact start date of individual details may still shift.