{"id":8112,"date":"2025-01-07T08:29:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T05:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=8112"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:31:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:31:58","slug":"ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/","title":{"rendered":"PPWR Formally Adopted by The EU Council"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On 16<sup>th<\/sup> of December, the EU Council formally adopted the <a href=\"https:\/\/data.consilium.europa.eu\/doc\/document\/PE-73-2024-INIT\/en\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Package and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)<\/a>, aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting sustainability. The rules set binding targets for re-use, restrict specific single-use packaging types, and require businesses to minimize packaging across its entire life cycle.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/#Safe_Sustainable_and_Recyclable_Packaging\" >Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable Packaging<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/#Recyclable_Packaging_Standards\" >Recyclable Packaging Standards<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/#Restrictions_on_Single-Use_Plastic_Packaging\" >Restrictions on Single-Use Plastic Packaging<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/#Re-Use_Targets_and_Refill_Obligations\" >Re-Use Targets and Refill Obligations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/ppwr-formally-adopted-by-the-eu-council\/#A_Long-Awaited_Replacement_and_The_Next_Step\" >A Long-Awaited Replacement and The Next Step<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Safe_Sustainable_and_Recyclable_Packaging\"><\/span><strong>Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable Packaging<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regulation introduces ambitious <strong>standards<\/strong> for sustainable packaging, including:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Binding targets for <strong>recycled content<\/strong>, such as a<strong> 65 % minimum for single-use plastic bottles by 2040<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight and volume reductions <\/strong>in packaging to avoid unnecessary materials.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Restrictions on harmful substances<\/strong>, including limits on PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) in <strong>food packaging<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>New <strong>labelling requirements<\/strong> to inform consumers about material composition and recycled content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recyclable_Packaging_Standards\"><\/span><strong>Recyclable Packaging Standards <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A <strong>key provision<\/strong> of the PPWR is Article 6, which establishes <strong>rigorous criteria<\/strong> for recyclable packaging. Under this article, all packaging placed on the market must be recyclable, ensuring it can be collected, sorted, and processed into secondary raw materials. <strong>Packaging recyclability is evaluated through performance grades (A, B, or C)<\/strong>, and only packaging within these grades will be permitted on the market from <strong>2030<\/strong>. By <strong>2038<\/strong>, <strong>only packaging achieving grades A or B will be allowed<\/strong>. These measures aim to promote high-quality recycling practices and reduce the environmental footprint of packaging waste.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Restrictions_on_Single-Use_Plastic_Packaging\"><\/span><strong>Restrictions on Single-Use Plastic Packaging<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To address the environmental impact of single-use plastics, the new regulation <strong>restricts several items<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Pre-packed<\/strong> fruit and vegetable packaging <strong>under 1.5 kg<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Food and drink packaging for on-site consumption<\/strong> in hotels, bars, and restaurants.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Individual condiment packets<\/strong> and <strong>small toiletry bottles<\/strong> commonly used in hospitality settings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Very lightweight plastic bags,<\/strong> often provided for bulk groceries at markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-8100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/vecteezy_full-container-of-plastic-household-waste-for-recycling_21509871-scaled-e1736346650228.jpg\" alt=\"plastic waste for PPWR\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Re-Use_Targets_and_Refill_Obligations\"><\/span><strong>Re-Use Targets and Refill Obligations<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regulation introduces <strong>binding re-use targets<\/strong> for 2030 and indicative goals for 2040. For instance, <strong>40 % of transport and sales packaging must be reusable by 2030<\/strong>. Additionally, <strong>grouped packaging<\/strong>, such as secondary wrapping for products, will need to meet a <strong>10 % re-use target.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Takeaway businesses will also be required to offer customers the option to use <strong>their own containers<\/strong> for food and beverages without incurring additional charges, promoting a culture of re-use.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Long-Awaited_Replacement_and_The_Next_Step\"><\/span><strong>A Long-Awaited Replacement and The Next Step<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regulation replaces the 1994 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which has undergone several revisions but failed to achieve its waste reduction goals. Recognizing the shortcomings of the current framework, the European Commission proposed the updated regulation in November 2022.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You can find the Council&#8217;s official press release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/press\/press-releases\/2024\/12\/16\/sustainable-packaging-council-signs-off-on-new-rules-for-less-waste-and-more-re-use-in-the-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 16th of December, the EU Council formally adopted the Package and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting sustainability. The rules set binding targets for re-use, restrict specific single-use packaging types, and require businesses to minimize packaging across its entire life cycle. &nbsp; Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable Packaging The regulation&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,545,540],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-regulations-policy-en","category-28","category-545","category-540","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8120,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112\/revisions\/8120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}