The European Commission has issued letters of formal notice and reasoned opinions to 14 EU Member States for failing to meet binding municipal waste and packaging waste recycling targets, with implications for the higher targets ahead under the PPWR.
The PPWR’s minimisation, recyclability and substance restriction requirements now directly constrain packaging design decisions, while EPR fee modulation turns these technical choices into measurable financial consequences.
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.
he European Commission has published the second edition of its PPWR Frequently Asked Questions document ahead of the 12 August 2026 application date, with new guidance on manufacturer definitions, PFAS compliance, enforcement approach and traceability requirements.
Biobased, biodegradable and compostable are often used interchangeably but describe three unrelated material properties. The PPWR addresses biobased feedstock and compostability separately under Articles 8 and 9, making the distinction a practical compliance question.
The German Federal Cabinet has approved a draft 2027 budget including a national plastics tax. Major industry associations argue the measure is designed to fill budget gaps rather than deliver environmental outcomes.
A nova-Institute study for the European Commission examines the role of bio-based feedstocks in plastic packaging under the PPWR, arguing that bio-based and recycled carbon are complementary routes to reducing fossil carbon.
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.
The summer of 2026 brings a series of compliance deadlines for food contact materials. From 16 September 2026, the EU 10/2011 amendments on substance purity, NIAS characterisation and supply chain documentation apply in full.
The European Commission has adopted an Implementing Decision establishing harmonised rules for calculating, verifying and reporting recycled content in single-use PET beverage bottles, covering chemically recycled content alongside mechanical recycling.
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.