Governance & Policy
Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
Definition
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, replaces Directive 94/62/EC with directly applicable EU-wide rules. It requires all packaging to be recyclable by design, sets recycled-content targets for plastic packaging, mandates packaging minimisation and empty-space limits, and introduces reuse targets and deposit-return obligations for certain formats.
References
Legal text, recyclability and recycled-content requirements
Policy context
Overview
What it means
Packaging rules shift from divergent national transposition to a single binding regulation covering design, labelling and waste management.
How it is used
Brands redesign packaging portfolios against recyclability grades; compliance schemes adapt producer-responsibility reporting; retailers prepare for reuse targets.
Why it matters
Packaging is one of the highest-volume waste streams, and the PPWR sets the design rules that will shape it for decades.
Review questions
What source or framework gives the term authority? What boundary or role is being described? What evidence would a reviewer need before relying on the term?