From 12 August 2026, the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40), will apply throughout the EU. Unlike the directive it replaces, it does not require national transposition: it applies equally across all Member States. It also sets out specific deadlines that affect any company that manufactures, packages, imports or distributes products in Europe.
Among all its obligations, there is one that fundamentally changes logistics operations: the targets for the reuse of transport packaging. Pallets, folding boxes, containers and returnable packaging are no longer simply a sustainability option but have become a requirement with specific percentages and timeframes. And here lies the practical problem: a reusable packaging system only works – and can only be demonstrated during an audit – if each item is uniquely identified and its movements are recorded somewhere.
In this guide, we explain what the PPWR requires, the timetable involved, and how RFID identification of returnable packaging resolves the operational challenge posed by the regulation.
What is the PPWR?
The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste. It entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies from 12 August 2026, replacing Directive 94/62/EC. It regulates the design, labelling, recycled content and reuse of all packaging placed on the market in the EU.
The PPWR in 5 points
- It is a regulation, not a directive: it applies directly and equally in all Member States, without the need for national transposition.
- It applies to all packaging: primary (retail), secondary (grouping) and tertiary (transport), both domestic and industrial.
- All packaging must be recyclable and minimised in weight and volume, with restrictions on substances of concern.
- It sets reuse targets for transport and groupage packaging from 2030, with a target date of 2040.
- It introduces harmonised labelling of composition and reusability, using QR codes or other standardised digital formats, from August 2028.
PPWR timetable: key dates to bear in mind
The PPWR is being rolled out in stages: general implementation on 12 August 2026, harmonised labelling from 12 August 2028, and binding targets for reuse and recycled content from 1 January 2030, with expanded targets by 2040.
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