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Even companies that aren’t located in the European Union (EU) could be impacted by the new packaging waste and recycling regulations that went into effect in August. The far-reaching regulations cover all packaging placed on the EU market, regardless of origin. A U.S. electronics manufacturer or component supplier, for example, has to use packaging that’s compliant with the new rules or risk fines and other enforcement action.

According to the European Commission, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 2025/40 (PPWR) went into effect last year. As of August 12, it now generally applies across the EU. The regulation covers all packaging and packaging waste; sets requirements for manufacturing, composition, and the reusable or recoverable nature of all packaging placed on the EU market; and includes numerous packaging waste management and prevention measures.

“The rules aim to minimize the quantities of packaging and waste generated while lowering the use of primary raw materials,” the EC says, “and fostering the transition to a circular, sustainable and competitive economy.”

5 Things to Know About the PPWR

Here are five things that any company shipping and selling goods to the EU should know about this new regulation:

1. The goal is to make all packaging on the EU market recyclable in an “economically viable way” by 2030, according to the EC. It also wants to safely increase the use of recycled plastics in packaging and decrease the use of virgin materials in packaging, with the end goal of sector climate neutrality by 2050. 
   
   
2. The PPWR establishes a new set of requirements that align with Europe’s waste rules that cover the entire packaging lifecycle, from product design to waste handling, including restrictions on certain single-use plastics and minimizing substances of concern—for instance, restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in packaging that comes in contact with food. 
   
   
3. To determine their obligations under the PPWR, Packaging Law says companies should know that the regulation applies to all packaging, but “the requirements may vary depending on the type of packaging (e.g., sales packaging that is intended to be in direct contact with the packaged product vs. transport packaging) and the end use application (e.g., packaging for food or medicinal products or dangerous goods).”
   
   
4. Packaging Law also says there may be ambiguity over which company is ultimately responsible for compliance. The manufacturer is responsible for many of the fundamental requirements, for example, but if the packaging (or a packaged product) carries a certain name or trademark, “it can be assumed that the owner of that name or trademark is the manufacturer for the purposes of the PPWR (rather than the business operator that physically produces the packaging).” If packaging isn’t marked, however, then the publication says the manufacturer “could be either the packaging supplier or the person who places packaged products on the EU market.”
   
   
5. The PPWR applies across the EU and establishes a harmonized framework for packaging and packaging waste in the single market. The EC says the new rules “mark a major step towards reducing packaging waste and lowering compliance costs for the packaging industry.” They will also make the waste value chain more sustainable, it adds, and help reduce the EU’s dependence on imports of virgin packaging materials.

“By promoting a more circular economy, the PPWR will help keep valuable materials in use for longer and increase the recovery and use of secondary raw materials within the EU,” the EC explains. “This will reduce pressures linked to resource extraction and waste generation, while strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of European industry through a more secure and sustainable supply of materials.”