Mittelstandspresse
11.08.2026
PPWR Deadline: August 12, 2026 — New Requirements for the Plastics Industry
Würzburg, 11.08.2026 (PresseBox) - On August 12, 2026, key requirements of the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) will take effect. This affects not only packaging manufacturers but also numerous companies in the plastics industry. The SKZ Plastics Center assists companies in assessing how they are affected, determining their role in the supply chain, and implementing the new regulatory requirements.
SKZ helps companies identify their role in the supply chain and prepare for the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
August 12, 2026, marks an important milestone for the European packaging industry. However, with the entry into force of key provisions of the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), it is not only packaging manufacturers that are in the spotlight. Numerous companies in the plastics industry must also correctly identify their position within the supply chain and subsequently meet new requirements in the future.
PPWR Establishes Uniform Requirements Across Europe
With the PPWR, the European Union aims to make packaging more sustainable, resource-efficient, and transparent. For the first time, the regulation establishes a largely uniform legal framework for packaging in the European single market.
Starting August 12, 2026, producers must demonstrate compliance with certain substance restrictions—such as those for PFAS and heavy metals—and provide a corresponding declaration of conformity. Additional requirements, including those related to registration and producer responsibility, will take effect starting in 2027. In the years that follow, requirements regarding recyclability, the use of recycled materials, and the reuse of packaging will also be introduced.
What role does your company play?
For many companies, the biggest challenge is correctly identifying their own role within the packaging life cycle. The PPWR distinguishes in particular between suppliers, producers, manufacturers, and importers. The respective obligations and responsibilities depend on this classification.
Suppliers provide packaging or packaging materials and must supply relevant information for the conformity assessment. Producers manufacture packaging or packaged products and are responsible for demonstrating compliance. Manufacturers are those entities that first make packaged products available in an EU member state and will, in the future, also be subject to extended producer responsibility. Importers first place packaging from third countries on the EU market and must ensure that it complies with the requirements of the PPWR.
Special Considerations for Transport Packaging
Particularly in the case of transport packaging, the question of who actually qualifies as a producer often cannot be answered at first glance. Companies that produce transport, service, or primary production packaging in its final form and place it on the market for the first time are generally considered producers under the PPWR. They are therefore specifically responsible for conducting the conformity assessment as well as for preparing and providing the EU Declaration of Conformity.
In addition, it must always be determined whether the criteria for the role of an importer are met in the case of imported packaging. This is particularly the case when a company established in the Union procures packaging or packaged products from a third country and makes them available on the Union market for the first time. In this case, companies are also subject to the specific obligations of an importer/producer under the PPWR.
As a general guideline: producers of rigid empty transport packaging, such as crates or pallets, are generally classified as producers. For flexible packaging such as stretch film or strapping, the PPWR often provides for a different allocation of roles. Since these materials often do not take their final form until they are used by the customer, the producer of the packaging material is usually considered a supplier. The company that packages or fills the product, on the other hand, regularly assumes the role of producer and, where applicable, also that of manufacturer.
Depending on the business model, multiple roles may apply simultaneously—for example, as a supplier as well as a producer or importer. A careful analysis of one’s own supply and value chain is therefore crucial.
Lay the Groundwork for Implementation Now
The effective date of August 12, 2026, marks the start of the practical implementation of the PPWR. Additional requirements regarding design for recycling, the use of recycled materials, chemical recycling, reusable packaging obligations, and producer responsibility will take effect gradually through 2030 and beyond.
Companies in the plastics industry should therefore assess early on what types of packaging they use, what role they play within the supply chain, and what requirements arise from this. The SKZ provides support in this process through role and impact analyses, the compilation of the necessary technical information for PPWR conformity assessment, training, and expert guidance on implementing the regulation.
Further information on the PPWR deadline
Ansprechpartner
Sophia Botsch
+49 (931) 4104-356
Zuständigkeitsbereich: Scientist | Sustainability and Circular Economy Würzburg
Über SKZ - Das Kunststoff-Zentrum:
SKZ is a climate protection company and a member of the Zuse Community. The Zuse Community is an association of independent, industry-oriented research institutions dedicated to improving the performance and competitiveness of industry—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises—through innovation and networking.
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On August 12, 2026, key requirements of the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) will take effect. The SKZ is helping companies implement these requirements.
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