Overview
- On Wednesday, 12 August 2026, key parts of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) became directly applicable and introduced immediate obligations for packaging placed on the market.
- The regulation enforces tight numeric limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging — 25 ppb per identifiable compound, 250 ppb for the sum of identifiable PFAS, and a total fluorine cap of 50 mg/kg — effectively barring intentional PFAS use in those materials.
- The PPWR shifts registration, conformity declarations and documentation duties onto manufacturers, importers and in-market actors and requires non-EU online sellers to help cover disposal and recycling costs.
- Small cross-border businesses have reported pausing or stopping EU shipments because per-country registration fees, mandatory local representatives and compliance costs are onerous, and national implementing laws such as Germany’s Verpackungsrecht‑Durchführungsgesetz add detail at the domestic level.
- Facing immediate market disruption, the Commission and a senior EU official have urged pragmatic enforcement and are considering fixes such as a single EU registration, while many consumer-facing measures remain phased in from 2027 through 2030 and environmental groups say the rule still underemphasises reuse and upstream waste prevention.