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The European Union has a clear goal in mind when it comes to consumer packaging: all that is placed on the market must abide by the circular design of recyclability by 2030. This specific mandate was put into law for all 27 EU member states on Aug. 12, 2026, by the EU’s legal framework: the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
PPWR replaces the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) that had been in effect since 1994. The improved mandate, first introduced in February 2025, also imposes restrictions on PFAS (forever chemicals) in packaging that comes in contact with food. Since the mandate does not solely apply to products manufactured and packaged in the EU, the PPWR’s influence extends to global imports. Because many companies are partial to standardizing packaging across markets, more and more companies will adopt compliant designs to streamline their operations and help the environment in the process.
The rising concern about single-use plastics and packaging waste began in the 2010s. The framework addresses this and heavily emphasizes a performance-based “Design for Recycling” (DfR) grading structure that ranks packaging materials on their recyclability. Materials are graded A (≤95% recyclable), B (≤80%) or C (≤70%). Any material that receives a rating less than 70% is deemed technically non-recyclable and will subsequently be banned from all markets. The system is proven to be successful because it not only turns sustainability from an aspiration into a requirement, but it also provides incentives for increased recycling through decreased Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees for companies.
The mandate requires that new packaging materials must be compatible with content targets and be highly recyclable. Paperboard is the ideal solution. Paperboard can be recycled between 5 and 10 times. According to a Eurostat statistic, European waste systems have reported that 87% of paperboard packaging has been recovered after responsible end-of-life disposal. Plastic only has a 42% recovery rate. New and recycled paperboard is transformed in mills into innovative packaging to benefit both consumers and the environment. Paperboard’s role in this infrastructure simplifies achieving recyclability performance and is inherently aligned with the circular reuse, reduce and recycle framework. Additionally, fiber-based formats benefit brands by being a valuable material option that consumers will want to use while also supporting goals centered around resource efficiency.
The PPWR intends to set permanent packaging waste reduction goals across the EU at the following rates per year:
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5% by 2030
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10% by 2035
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15% by 2040
All reductions are measured against levels from 2018. By 2040, the last year projected in the plan thus far, most plastic packaging and parts such as security rings on water bottles in the EU must meet increased recycled content targets or risk being removed from markets.
Consumer companies recognize that the mandate is both an inhibition and an opportunity to get ahead in a competitive market where sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Those that modify their design and distribution processes early on will get the upper hand and be better prepared for mandatory compliance.
