PPWR: What is it and how does it impact Kiwi Businesses
PPWR: What is it and how does it impact Kiwi Businesses?
Navigating the shift toward a circular economy can feel like moving a mountain, but staying ahead of the curve is no longer optional - it’s a requirement for market access.
This article provides a foundational map of the regulatory territory, but for the "boots on the ground" perspective, please check out the recording from Emily Thomas’s Lunch n’ Learn session, where Emily provided her expert insights and practical takeaways on navigating these changes in real-time. The recording can be found here: https://youtu.be/ViBbjwyOy4w
The PPWR’s comprehensive framework is designed to make all packaging in the EU market recyclable, reusable, and increasingly circular. PPWR regulation includes:
- Single-use plastics bans in various industries
- Targets for more recyclable and compostable packaging
- Minimum recycled content requirements
- Packaging minimisation (no excess space or “over-packaging”)
- Re-use and refill targets
- New labelling rules
- Chemical restrictions in food packaging
- Read more about PPWR regulation here.
Brand owners are now accountable for understanding and owning their packaging data, rather than relying solely on suppliers. To achieve this, brand owners must hold detailed, accurate data on every packaging component—covering materials, weights, recyclability, and composition down to inks, labels, and closures.
If you/your customers are placing packaging onto the market in Europe, you/they must comply with PPWR regulations and be registered with the EPR body in each market.
From August 2026, every piece of packaging on the EU market will be legally required to have its own Declaration of Conformity (DoC). No DoC = no EU market access.
A DoC is a written self-declaration by the packaging manufacturer confirming that packaging meets Articles 5–12 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40.
This applies for B2B and B2C, household, commercial, industrial, e-commerce, and transport packaging.
Declarations must have an ability to trace each piece of packaging and substantiate claims by providing technical documentation as evidence. Read more about what a DoC must contain here.
Key dates to know
- Feb 2025: PPWR regulation is in force
- Aug 2026: Manufactures must supply a DoC for each piece of packaging. Harmful “forever” chemicals (PFAS) will be banned
- 2028–2029: Harmonised labelling becomes mandatory
- 2030: Recyclability grades(A to C) + recycled content thresholds apply
- 2038: Only packaging with recyclability grades A and B will be permitted on the EU market
Further Reading:
- MFAT - New EU rules on packaging and waste will transform its Supply Chain - March 2025
- NZTE - Ensure EU access by meeting new packaging laws
- Packaging Europe - Everything you need to know about the PPWR Declaration of Conformity
- Circularise – PPWR: A guide to compliance, timelines, and mass balance solutions
Bottom line: Start now and become compliance-ready ASAP. Audit your packaging, gather your data, and work with suppliers/support customers.
Let us know how we can be of help if you need it.
