The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) entered into force in February 2025 and will apply broadly starting in August 2026.

Unlike previous EU packaging directives, the PPWR is a regulation, meaning it applies uniformly across all EU member states without national transposition.

It is widely considered one of the most ambitious packaging laws in the world and is expected to influence packaging regulations far beyond Europe.

Core Objectives

• Reduce overall packaging waste generation

• Ensure all packaging is recyclable at scale

• Increase recycled content and material circularity

• Eliminate unnecessary packaging and excess volume

• Accelerate reuse, refill, and closed-loop systems

• Harmonize labeling and consumer disposal instructions

Key PPWR Requirements

1. Packaging Waste Reduction Targets

The PPWR establishes binding, EU-wide packaging waste reduction targets relative to a 2018 baseline: –5% by 2030, –10% by 2035, and –15% by 2040. While applied at the member-state level, these targets will drive increased scrutiny of high-volume, low-efficiency packaging formats.

2. Design for Recyclability

By 2030, all packaging placed on the EU market must be recyclable, with performance graded based on real-world collection, sorting, and recycling outcomes. Restrictions will tighten over time for packaging with lower recyclability grades, shifting the focus from theoretical to system-compatible recyclability.

3. Minimum Recycled Content Requirements

Binding minimum recycled content thresholds apply to plastic packaging, varying by format and application. Verification and calculation methodologies are expected by 2026, clarifying compliance and auditing expectations.

4. Packaging Minimization Rules

By 2030, e-commerce and transport packaging must meet a maximum empty space ratio of 50%, including void fill, secondary packaging, and unnecessary structural volume. Brands will need to demonstrate intentional right-sizing—not just recyclability.

5. Reuse and Refill Targets

Reuse and refill obligations begin in 2030, particularly for beverage, transport, and foodservice packaging, with hospitality venues required to offer reusable options where feasible. While targets vary by sector, single-use packaging will face increasing regulatory pressure.

6. Harmonized Labeling and Digital Information

EU-wide disposal pictograms and standardized labeling begin rolling out in 2026, followed by QR codes and digital information requirements, with complete implementation expected by 2028 to improve sorting outcomes and transparency of compliance.

7. Deposit Return Systems (DRS)

Mandatory deposit return systems for beverage containers up to 3 liters will be required by 2029 unless a country can demonstrate sufficiently high collection rates through alternative systems.

8. Compostable Packaging Requirements

Specific packaging formats, such as coffee pods, produce stickers, and select food-contact items, must be compostable within defined timelines, with compostability claims tightly regulated and format-specific.

What Brands Should Do Now for EU Compliance

• Assess current packaging portfolios against 2030 recyclability requirements

• Identify high-risk formats likely to fall into lower recyclability grades

• Model packaging sizes and void space to meet minimisation thresholds

• Develop sourcing strategies for compliant recycled content

• Prepare for harmonized labeling and QR code integration

• Pilot reuse or refill systems where operationally feasible

Bottom line: By 2030, all packaging sold in the EU must be recyclable, minimized, and aligned with reuse and recycled content targets. The PPWR effectively sets a global benchmark.

Canada’s packaging regulations are advancing through a combination of federal reporting requirements and provincial Extended Producer Responsibility programs.

While implementation varies by province, the overall trajectory is toward full producer responsibility, transparent reporting, and higher recovery outcomes.

Federal Plastics Registry (FPR)

Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the Federal Plastics Registry introduces nationwide reporting requirements for plastics. Key Requirements

• Mandatory annual reporting begins September 2025, covering 2024 calendar-year data

• Producers must report:

• Plastics placed on the Canadian market

• Quantities collected

• Quantities diverted

• Final fate (e.g., recycled, landfilled, incinerated)

• Exemption: Businesses placing less than 1 metric ton per year of plastics on the market 

The FPR is designed to create a consistent national data set and support future policy development.

Provincial EPR Programs

Canada’s provinces retain authority over packaging EPR, resulting in multiple programs that brands must navigate simultaneously. 

Ontario

Ontario’s transition to full producer responsibility concludes by December 2025, making producers fully financially and operationally responsible for managing packaging waste across the province.

Québec

Québec is modernizing both curbside collection and deposit-refund systems, with overlapping cost obligations expected during the 2025–2026 transition period that may create temporary “double-pay” scenarios for producers.

British Columbia (Recycle BC)

British Columbia operates one of North America’s longest-running full EPR programs, with Recycle BC achieving approximately 45% recovery of plastics—well above many other jurisdictions.

New Brunswick & Nova Scotia

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are rolling out province-wide curbside collection and EPR programs in 2025, signaling broader adoption across Atlantic Canada, with additional provinces expected to follow.

What Brands Should Do Now for Canada Compliance

• Register with the Federal Plastics Registry ahead of the September 2025 deadline

• Confirm active memberships with provincial Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), such as:

• Circular Materials

• ÉEQ (Québec)

• Recycle BC

• Budget conservatively for overlapping or transitional fees

• Strengthen internal data systems for material tracking and reporting

• Align packaging design and labeling strategies with EU PPWR requirements to streamline global compliance

Together, the EU PPWR and Canada’s EPR framework signal a clear global direction:

• Packaging must be designed for real-world recyclability

• Packaging volumes must be intentionally minimized

• Recycled content and reuse systems will become standard expectations

• Transparent, defensible reporting is no longer optional

For brands operating across borders, the biggest risk is fragmented, reactive compliance. The biggest opportunity is unifying packaging strategies now (using the EU’s high bar as a design baseline) to reduce long-term costs, complexity, and regulatory exposure.

Done well, compliance becomes not just a legal obligation, but a catalyst for smarter, more resilient packaging systems.

Packaging compliance can be confusing to navigate. But, it doesn't have to be.

If you're a brand dealing with US Extended Producer Responsibility laws, get in touch today. Our packaging experts ensure compliance becomes clear, simple, and stress-free for your brand..