Packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR)
EU has decided on a regulation on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR). The regulation covers the entire life cycle of packaging – from product design to waste management.
On this page you find support and information about the provisions of the EU regulation. For example, you can find information about who is defined as a producer, which types of packaging that are covered by extended producer responsibility and other relevant information you need in order to fulfil your extended producer responsibility according to the EU regulation.
The new EU regulation replaces the current Packaging and packaging waste directive and is directly applicable and valid in all EU member states. The regulation entered into force on 11 February 2025 and will generally apply from 12 August 2026. However, several provisions in the regulation will apply at a later date.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency follows the European Commission’s work on developing guidance and secondary legislation, among other things. We can only provide guidance on the details in secondary legislation once it has been adopted.
Target group
Companies that manufacture, import or distribute packaging or packaged products.
Legislation
Regulation
Secondary legislation
The European Commission will adopt a number of delegated and implementing acts, known as secondary legislation, which complement the Regulation and clarify certain provisions.
Delegated act exempting certain economic operators using packaging and pallet straps from the 100 % reuse requirement for these packaging formats (see Commission adoption of 25 February 2026):
Exemption from the reuse requirement for pallet wrappings and straps (europa.eu)
There is also a recorded information from the Commission where they go through the new regulation and answer some of the questions that have been received. You can find it on the Commission's website:
Webinar on new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (europa.eu)
Swedish regulations
The EU Regulation is directly applicable in all EU Member States and most provisions do not allow for any national flexibility but apply as written. However, the EU Regulation also contains provisions that give Member States flexibility, either in terms of how provisions are to be implemented and complied with, or whether additional national provisions should be introduced. The scope for action available to Member States is defined by the EU Regulation, and it is only within this framework that Member States may develop national legislation.
News
Guidance from the European Commission
The European Commission has produced guidance to clarify certain aspects of the EU Regulation, in order to ensure that the provisions can be applied in a uniform manner in all Member States:
Guidance document on Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (europa.eu)
FAQ on Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (europa.eu)
The ‘Blue Guide’ on the implementation of EU product rules 2022
The European Commission has also recorded a webinar in which they present the new regulation and answer some of the questions received. It is available on the Commission's website:
Webinar on new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (europa.eu)
Purpose and objectives of the new rules
The new regulation aims, among other things, to
- create a harmonised market within the EU
- prevent and reduce the amount of packaging waste
- minimise the presence and concentration of substances of concern in packaging
- increase the reuse of packaging
- make all packaging on the EU market recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030 create a market for recycled materials.
The regulation is part of the implementation of the Commission's Green Deal and is based on the Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan.
New rules
These are some of the rules that will apply from 12 August 2026:
- Several new definitions will apply, such as the definition of producer. You can find more information on the Definitions page.
- Manufacturers must carry out a conformity assessment procedure and draw up technical documentation before placing packaging on the market. They must also draw up an EU declaration of conformity and label the packaging with contact details.
- Importers must ensure, among other things, that the manufacturer has carried out a conformity assessment procedure and has drawn up the technical documentation referred to in Annex. Importers must also check that the packaging has been labelled and is accompanied by the required documents. Furthermore, the importer must label the packaging with contact details.
- Manufacturers must comply with restrictions on the amount of PFAS permitted in food contact packaging. According to Article 5.5, it is prohibited to place packaging on the market if the packaging contains a concentration of PFAS exceeding the established limit values. Compliance with the requirements must be demonstrated by technical documentation.
- Manufacturers of reusable packaging must comply with the requirements of Article 11 on the design and construction of packaging. Compliance with the requirements shall be demonstrated by means of technical documentation.
- Economic operators who make reusable packaging available for the first time in Sweden must ensure that a system for reuse of such packaging is in place in Sweden, including incentives to ensure collection of that packaging, and that the system for reuse meets the requirements of Annex VI (Specific requirements for reuse systems and refilling stations).
- Economic operators who use reusable packaging must participate in one or more reuse systems and ensure that the reuse systems meet the requirements of Part A of Annex VI (Specific requirements for reuse systems and refilling stations).
- Operators of reuse systems must comply with the requirements of Annex VI (Specific requirements for reuse systems and refilling stations).
- Economic operators offering the possibility to purchase products through refilling shall inform end-users about the rules for refilling in accordance with Article 28.
Definitions
Producer
Who is a responsible producer depends on the type of packaging and where the actor is established.
A producer is either a manufacturer, importer or distributor. However, a producer is not necessarily the same actor as the one who places the packaging on the market.
Producer responsibility means that the producer is responsible for financing the collection and management of packaging waste in the Member State in which the packaging become waste. Producers must register and report the quantities of packaging that they have made available on the market in the Member State to the designated competent authority, which in Sweden is the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The information to be reported is largely the same as today, but the level of detail required will increase.
Economic operator
Economic operator is a new concept in the new regulation.
According to the regulation, the definition of an economic operator is
- manufacturer
- supplier
- importer
- distributor
- manufacturer's representative
- final distributor
- provider of distribution services.
Economic operators have different obligations under the regulation depending on their role.
Manufacturer
According to the definition, the manufacturer of the packaging is the natural or legal person who manufactures packaging or a packaged product. However, where a natural or legal person has packaging or a packaged product designed or manufactured under its own name or trademark, , ‘manufacturer’ refers to that natural or legal person, regardless of whether any other trademark is visible on the packaging or on the packaged product. This is stated in point a) of the definition. However, there are exceptions from point a) for micro-enterprises, as stated in point b) of the definition.
According to article 15 there are several provisions that manufacturers must comply with. Manufacturers may only place packaging on the market that complies with the requirements laid down in or in accordance with Articles 5–12 (design and labelling).
Before placing packaging on the market, manufacturers must carry out a conformity assessment procedure and draw up technical documentation. They must also draw up an EU declaration of conformity.
Manufacturers must indicate on the packaging, or in a QR code or other data carrier, their name, registered trade name or registered trademark, as well as the postal address and, where applicable, the means of electronic communication at which they can be contacted.
Importer
An importer is any natural or legal person established in a Member State who places packaging on the market from a country outside the EU.
Before placing packaging or packaged product on the market, the importer must ensure that the packaging has been manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the regulation and that the documentation to be drawn up by the manufacturer is available. Furthermore, the importer must indicate on the packaging its name, registered business name or registered trademark, as well as the postal address and, where applicable, the electronic means of communication by which they can be contacted.
Supplier
A supplier is any natural or legal person who supplies packaging or packaging materials to a manufacturer. A supplier must provide the manufacturer with all the information and documentation necessary to enable the manufacturer to demonstrate that the packaging and packaging materials comply with the requirements of the Regulation, including the technical documentation referred to in Annex VII and required by or pursuant to Articles 5 to 11.
However, there are cases where a supplier of packaging is also defined as a manufacturer.
Distributor
A distributor is any natural or legal person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or importer, who makes packaging available on the market.
Before making packaging available on the market, distributors shall verify that the producer subject to the extended producer responsibility obligations for the packaging is registered in the national producer register. They shall also verify that the packaging has been labelled in accordance with the labelling requirements.
Placing on the market
A package, empty or together with a product, is placed on the market the first time it is made available on the EU market. This means that a package can only be placed on the EU market once, i.e. the first time it is made available in a country within the EU.
Sustainability and labelling requirements are aimed at those who place the package on the EU market, i.e. manufacturers and importers.
One of the aims of the EU regulation is to harmonise the regulations and make it clear that packaging that does not meet the requirements of the regulation is not placed on the market.
Making available on the territory of the Member State
Any supply of packaging, empty or together with a product, for distribution, consumption or use in a Member State in the course of a commercial activity, whether in return for payment or free of charge, constitutes the supply of packaging.
When an operator supplies packaging in a Member State other than the one in which the packaging was placed on the market, the operator is a distributor and not a manufacturer or importer.