PPWR Roadmap: Europe’s Path to Less Packaging Waste

With a goal of cutting packaging waste 15% by 2040, Europe is pushing companies toward packaging that can be recycled, recovered and reused more effectively.

The European Union has drawn a clear line in the sand: by 2030, all packaging placed on the EU market must be designed for recycling. That deceptively simple mandate is the headline of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and it is already reshaping how consumer brands design, source and sell products globally.

For multinational companies, this is not just a regional regulatory change. Any packaging or packaged product sold in the EU, including imports, must meet the new requirements regardless of where it is produced. And because many global brands prefer to standardize packaging across markets, PPWR's influence is likely to extend well beyond Europe as companies adopt compliant designs more broadly to simplify their operations.

At the heart of the regulation is a performance-based "Design for Recycling" (DfR) framework. Packaging will be graded A (≥95% recyclable), B (≥80%) or C (≥70%) with anything below 70% deemed "technically non-recyclable" and effectively phased out of the market by 2030. The requirements will tighten further in 2035 and 2038. This grading system turns sustainability from aspiration into a hard commercial requirement, while creating incentives for higher recyclability through lower Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees.

PPWR entered into force in February 2025. Its provisions become directly applicable law across all 27 EU member states on Aug. 12, 2026, replacing the packaging directive that has governed the market for three decades. Restrictions on PFAS in food-contact packaging take hold from that date, ahead of the design-for-recycling mandate that phases in through 2030.

Why Paperboard Fits the PPWR Era

Under the new rules, the ideal packaging material must combine high recyclability, proven collection infrastructure and compatibility with recycled content targets.

Paperboard checks each one.

European systems recover approximately 87% of paper and paperboard packaging, significantly outperforming plastic. This established infrastructure reduces compliance risk and simplifies the path to achieving strong recyclability performance.

Paperboard is also inherently aligned with circular design. Fibers can be recycled multiple times - often cited as 10 or more cycles¹ - enabling valuable materials to be used again and again.

In addition, fiber-based formats can help brands navigate tightening restrictions on certain single-use plastic packaging formats while supporting broader goals around recyclability and resource efficiency.

Looking Ahead

The PPWR sets binding packaging waste reduction targets across the EU:

• 5% by 2030
• 10% by 2035
• 15% by 2040

All reductions are measured against 2018 levels.

For consumer brands, the design-for-recycling mandate is both a constraint and an opportunity. Those who adapt early - embracing materials like paperboard and designing for circularity - will not only be better prepared for compliance, but also gain a competitive edge in a market where sustainability is rapidly becoming the baseline.

¹ Graphic Packaging's 2025 Impact Report (page 13)

FOLLOW THE PPWR ROADMAP

From today's requirements to the milestones ahead, our PPWR News & Resources center brings together the latest news, insights and guides to help brands prepare for what's next.

Packaging Is About to Change Forever

• By 2030, on the European Union, all packaging must be designed for recycling.
• Design for Recycling (DfR): Assessment of recyclability per unit, in terms of weight. DfR rules to be defined through delegated acts by 2028.
• Recyclability performance grades:
  • Grade A: at least 95%
  • Grade B: at least 80%
  • Grade C: at least 70%
  • Technically non-recyclable: less than 70%*
    • *Cannot be placed on the market from this date.

Paperboard: A Natural Fit for a Circular Future

• Paperboard can be recycled 5-10 times. (Source: NCA SI WP-23-03, 2023)
• 87% of paperboard packaging is recycled in Europe versus only 42% of plastic. (Source: Eurostat 2023)

Road to Regulation: Timeline

• 2010s: Rising concern about single-use plastics and packaging waste. Warning of missed recycling targets.
• 2022: European Commission proposes the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), a sweeping regulation that replaces the PPWD (from 1994) for the European Union, aimed at preventing and reducing packaging waste, improving packaging recyclability and recycling, and driving circular materials in packaging. Covers the entire packaging life cycle with standardized rules.
• 2025: PPWR goes into effect. Development of secondary legislation starts.
• 2028: Standardized, mandatory labels for waste sorting on all waste receptacles and on consumer packaging.
• 2030: All packaging on the EU market must be recyclable by design. Most plastic packaging and parts in the EU must meet initial minimum recycled content targets. Single-use plastic packaging face restrictions - including for multipacks, fresh produce and foodservice.
• 2035: All packaging in the EU must be recyclable at scale.
• 2038: All packaging in the EU must meet stricter criteria for recyclability.
• 2040: Most plastic packaging and parts in the EU must meet increased recycled content targets.

Learn more at: graphicpkg.com/ppwr

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