PPWR

The PPWR law was approved on April 24, 2024 by the European Parliament. With the aim of reducing our environmental impact, Europe has made major decisions regarding how we produce, consume, and dispose of our packaging waste.

Some agreements are still provisional and under discussion regarding the different approaches to be adopted.

A key focus of the PPWR is single-use packaging, which will be completely banned by 2030 for plastic multipacks, for fruit & vegetables under 1.5 kg (unprocessed), single-portion packaging for the HORECA sector, food and beverages for CHR only, and miniature packaging for toiletries.

The PPWR is made up of 4 pillars, 4 areas for improvement: recyclability, recycled content, reuse, and exemptions.

RECYCLABILITY

Regarding recyclability, the law states that all packaging placed on the market by 2030 must be recyclable at a rate of 70%, and by 2038 at a rate of 80%. To achieve this, it is important to create mono-material packaging that will not disrupt recycling streams.

France is also working on recycling streams so that by the end of 2035 polypropylene can be recycled, as it is already recyclable in some European countries.

The recyclability assessment of packaging must be carried out by the manufacturer for each type of packaging.

In France, to find out the recyclability rate of your packaging, log in to https://tree.citeo.com/fr/

RECYCLED CONTENT

The use of recycled material is an important part of the PPWR. By 2030, packaging placed on the market must contain 35% post-consumer recycled content, and by 2040: 65%.

The recycled material required is mechanically recycled material, which is not suitable for food contact (except PET). Today, the use of recycled content is being discussed in cases where it could contaminate the contents of the pouch (baby food, infant food, etc.); it will be possible to use bio-based material as a second option.

REUSE

Reuse remains a somewhat unclear topic for packaging. Packaging is considered reusable only if it is used again for the same purpose for which it was designed, while following a cleaning process so it can be reused.

Packaging covered by reuse includes transport packaging, sales packaging, and multipacks.

To verify whether packaging is reusable, tracking tools such as QR codes will need to be available on the packaging.

EXEMPTIONS

Exemptions mainly concern reuse. Today, there are no restrictions regarding flexible packaging or packaging suitable for food contact.

Reuse exemptions apply to packaging for transporting dangerous goods, packaging for transporting large machinery, or custom-made equipment.

Cardboard packaging is also exempt from any reuse requirements.

Informing about packaging

Packaging information will be more precise and stricter. A real traceability of composition, materials, origin, and sorting method will have to be visible or at least accessible on the packaging.
Companies placing products on the market will need to be informed and approve the placing on the market of packaging.

Packaging reduction

Another important point is reducing plastic packaging. The amount of packaging continues to increase, and targets have been set based on 2018 for Member States:

2030	2035	2040
– 5%	– 10%	– 15%

Empty space ratio

There is also a change regarding the empty space ratio, which will be capped at 50%. This ratio will apply only to transport packaging, e-commerce packaging, and packaging used to bundle products (multipacks).

Forever chemicals

A ban will also be introduced on forever chemicals (PFAS) above a certain threshold for packaging suitable for food contact. The threshold has yet to be determined and communicated.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about your packaging and the different options for your future packaging.