Overview
- The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation becomes applicable on Wednesday, August 12, triggering the first binding obligations across the EU.
- Food-contact packaging must meet strict PFAS limits from day one, with 25 ppb per detected compound, 250 ppb for summed measured compounds, and a total PFAS threshold set in Article 5.
- The law assigns role-based duties to producers, importers, distributors and sellers, requiring conformity declarations, LUCID registration and inventories so companies can prove compliance.
- A phased schedule adds practical rules over coming years: vendors must accept customer reusable containers from February 12, 2027; material labelling starts August 12, 2028; reuse labelling and QR tracking begin February 12, 2029; and broad on-site single-use plastic bans and a 70% recyclability floor follow in 2030.
- National steps will vary: Germany plans to pass the EU plastic levy to producers from 2027 at about €0.80 per kilogram, a move likely to shift costs onto manufacturers and modestly affect some consumer prices while recycling targets and circular-economy rules tighten across the bloc.