FBDi Enviroment Ticker: New European Packaging Regulation

The only formal steps still to be taken to bring the EU Packaging Regulation into force are adoption by the EU Council and publication in the EU Official Journal. Twenty days after this date, it will come into force in all EU member states. From this date, the economic operators concerned will have a transitional period of 18 months to implement their packaging obligations. Agreement on the text of the packaging regulation was reached in the trialogue procedure on 15 March this year and approved by the EU Parliament on 24 April this year.

As FBDi points out, the EU Packaging Regulation sets out various product requirements for packaging, including the restriction of hazardous substances, recyclability, minimum recycled content in plastic packaging, compostability and reusability requirements. The measures cover the entire life cycle of packaging, with certain packaging to be restricted and others made of plastic to be banned from 1^st of January 2030. Outer packaging, transport packaging and e-commerce packaging, the proportion of empty space must not exceed 50%. Manufacturers and importers also need to make packaging lighter and less voluminous. The FBDi also draws attention to the legal obligations of economic operators, depending on their role in the supply chain. For example, packaging manufacturers must carry out conformity assessment procedures in accordance with the EU Packaging Regulation and are responsible for ensuring that their packaging meets all relevant requirements of the Regulation. However, unlike the EU Battery Regulation, there is no requirement for CE marking on packaging.
For further details please see: https://www.verpackungsgesetz.com/en/topics/the-new-european-packaging-regulation-eu-packaging-regulation-2025/

For almost 30 years, the European Packaging Directive 94/62/EC has regulated the placing on the market, return and recycling of packaging in the European Union. In Germany, it has been implemented by the German Packaging Act (VerpackG). The EU Packaging Regulation has now been published as the new EU-level packaging regulation, which aims to gradually reduce the volume of packaging and avoid or reduce packaging waste in EU countries. Specifically, the packaging reduction targets are 5% by 2039, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040. The EU Packaging Regulation is part of the European Green Deal and the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan and updates the EU legal framework on packaging and packaging waste. It aims to protect the environment, to counteract the throwaway mentality and to promote a circular economy.