Flexible packaging suppliers need urgent, workable and homogeneous implementation guidance to ensure PPWR integrity
Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) reiterates its strong opposition to any attempt to reopen or delay Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR), following recent calls from parts of industry to postpone its application and review key provisions.
FPE acknowledges that several implementation challenges remain and are limiting the ability of the supply chain to comply with upcoming requirements. However, these should be addressed through clear, practical and timely secondary legislation ensuring homogeneous implementation, not through reopening the primary legislative framework.
Industry needs urgent support for implementation, not reopening
The publication of PPWR Commission Notice and FAQs is a first step. However, this will not be sufficient on its own. FPE calls on the European Commission to urgently step up its efforts and provide the necessary support to the entire packaging value chain through:
- Clear and practical rules enabling compliance with upcoming requirements applying as of August 2026, including realistic compliance pathways, agreed with national authorities, to ensure homogenous implementation for provisions such as PFAS targets; and,
- Timely adoption of fair and workable secondary legislation on key areas such as recyclability, recycled content for plastic packaging, minimisation and market restrictions to ensure those measures can be implemented in 2030.
Providing this clarity is essential to ensure that companies can comply in a practical, enforceable and fair manner, while continuing to innovate.
Flexible Packaging Europe stands ready to support decision-makers to ensure a workable way to implement PPWR. This can be achieved through an urgent high-level dialogue with stakeholders to provide the clarity required for flexible packaging supply chain to ensure PPWR implementation and compliance.
Regulatory stability is key to the Single Market, investment predictability, and competitiveness
The PPWR finally provides a long-awaited harmonised framework on packaging legislation that is essential for the functioning of the Single Market. Reopening the Regulation risks triggering fragmentation, as Member States may introduce diverging national measures if the European framework is weakened or delayed.
“The flexible packaging sector is ready to deliver on the PPWR’s objectives.” says Karri Koskela, Chair of Flexible Packaging Europe, “Over the past years, converters across Europe have made significant investments to redesign packaging in line with recyclability, minimisation and recycled content requirements. It is estimated that the sector has invested more than €1 billion in the past years in research and development to meet PPWR objectives only.”
Reopening or delaying the PPWR at this stage would undermine these investments plus those by brand owners and filling equipment suppliers, create regulatory uncertainty, and risk slowing down Europe’s transition to a circular economy. This would represent a harsh hit for the competitiveness of flexible packaging suppliers. Especially as more than 95% of the packaging material crafted by European flexible packaging suppliers is converted in Europe and it is used to pack products sold and consumed in Europe.
Maintaining the integrity of the PPWR is therefore critical not only for environmental objectives, but also for ensuring a level playing field for businesses operating across Europe.
