Italy has become the first EU Member State to exercise the PPWR’s Article 9(2)(b) flexibility, mandating compostability instead of recyclability for specific single-use plastic packaging in fresh produce and HoReCa.
Wales has appointed Exchange for Change as its DRS administrator, giving the UK a single scheme operator across all four nations. Meanwhile, independent brewers are calling for a delay, citing unresolved questions around glass, EPR interaction and readiness.
Germany’s new Packaging Law Implementation Act (VerpackDG) entered into force on 12 August 2026, retaining the dual system and ZSVR while expanding authorisation requirements for B2B packaging and raising plastic recycling rates.
The REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 formally extend UK REACH transitional registration deadlines to 27 October 2029, 2030 and 2031, completing a process that began with Defra’s December 2025 consultation response.
A coalition of 17 US states has filed a federal lawsuit challenging California’s SB 54 packaging EPR law, arguing it amounts to regulatory overreach that sets national packaging policy without congressional authorisation.
On 1 July 2026, PackUK published RAM 2027, the updated Recyclability Assessment Methodology that assigns every household packaging item a red, amber or green rating directly determining modulated waste disposal fees under pEPR.
On 24 June 2026, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a new Packaging Ordinance covering all packaging formats for the first time, introducing binding recycling targets and a phased set of obligations from 2027 onwards.
The public consultation on the draft revision of BfR Recommendations on paper and board for food contact closed on 30 June 2026, consolidating four recommendations into one tabular document with added CAS numbers.
On 9 June 2026, US Congress introduced the No Toxics in Food Packaging Act, proposing to ban PFAS, ortho-phthalates, bisphenols, styrene polymers and antimony trioxide from all food contact materials.
India’s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules introduce binding recycled content targets across three packaging categories, a new EPR obligation for raw material sellers and a third-party audit mechanism.
Three California bills targeting recycled content claims and compostable labelling advanced past a key legislative deadline in May 2026, signalling stricter evidentiary standards for environmental marketing claims on packaging.
Annex 10 Edition 3.2 of the Swiss Ordinance on food contact materials is fully in force. The transitional period for non-evaluated Part B substances has expired and ink producers are required to issue a DoC.