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.
The European Commission has launched three parallel calls for evidence to develop the secondary legislation defining how PPWR recycled content targets for plastic packaging are calculated, verified and enforced. The feedback period runs until 16 September 2026.
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.
A JRC study analysing 19 EU Member States found that plastic was the only packaging category to grow between 2011 and 2025, increasing 11 % to 5.9 million tonnes, while all other materials declined or remained stable.
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 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.
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 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.