Vanliga frågor och svar om PPWR
PPWR är en ny EU-lagstiftning som dessutom är ganska omfattande och komplex. Självklart kan det dyka upp många frågor och här har vi samlat de vanligaste frågorna och svaren som vi får från våra producenter. Saknar du svaret på en fråga? Hör gärna av dig till producer@npa.se så kompletterar vi guiden.
Vanliga frågor
PPWR stands for Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and is a new EU regulation that replaces the previous directive on packaging and packaging waste. The aim of the PPWR is to establish a coherent regulatory framework across the EU to achieve the objectives of reducing packaging waste, increasing circularity, and promoting the internal market of EU. The PPWR requires producers to ensure that packaging is recyclable, and that waste management is efficient.
All companies that place packaging on the EU market – whether they are manufacturers, importers, or distributors – are covered by the regulations. This also applies to e-commerce businesses and brand owners.
The Regulation contains a new definition of producers. As a general rule, the producer is the economic operator who, as a manufacturer, importer or distributor established in a Member State, makes packaging or packaged products available for the first time from the territory of that Member State and on the same territory. The aim of the new producer definition is that only one company should be the producer for a single packaging unit.
Anyone who sells a product directly to an end user (either a private individual or a business) in another EU country is considered a producer and must comply with the regulations in that country. In general, this means that you, as a producer, must join a producer responsibility organisation in the country where you sell your products and report the packaging placed on the market there.
A list of producer responsibility organisations in EU countries can be found on the EXPRA website. Click on “Members” in the menu to view the list of countries.
At present, a producer established in Sweden that sells directly to end users in another EU country must also appoint an authorised representative in each EU country where it sells its products. However, this requirement is currently under review by the European Parliament and the Council during 2026. The rules regarding authorised representatives may therefore change.
The PPWR applies to all packaging and packaging waste, regardless of the material used and regardless of whether the packaging waste has been used in or comes from, for example, industry, other manufacturing, households, or retail.
The PPWR is a comprehensive set of regulations with many requirements, some of which we already fulfil in Sweden, for example through a widespread return and deposit system. The new requirements added by PPWR are mainly requirements for the recyclability of packaging through design for recycling, minimization of packaging material, recycled material in packaging, labelling, re-use and refilling of packaging and environmental claims on packaging. Furthermore, the Regulation contains some explicit prohibitions.
Packaging can only be placed on the market if it fulfils the requirements set out in the Regulation.
Further information can be found in the document ‘A brief introduction to the PPWR’, which is available to you as a customer. You are also welcome to contact us for advice.
The PPWR applies from 12 August 2026. Some of the provisions will not take effect until the following years. Below, we outline some of the key requirements and changes.
From 12 August 2026:
- New definition of producers
Introduced on 12 August 2028:
- Labelling requirements for packaging
Introduced in 2030
- New classification of material recyclability – class A-C. Packaging with less than 70% recycling rate will be banned. As a producer, you already need to familiarize yourself with which packaging is at risk of being banned in 2030.
- Minimum standards for packaging dimensions and empty spaces in packaging
- Requirements for the percentage of recycled content in plastic packaging
- Targets for reuse
- Targets for refilling refillable packaging
Introduced in 2035
- Assessment of recyclability based on packaging large-scale recyclability
Introduced in 2038
- Ban on packaging with class C recyclability
Introduced in 2040
- Increased requirements for recycled content in packaging
- Increased recycling targets
Further information can be found in the document ‘A brief introduction to the PPWR’, which is available to you as a customer. You are also welcome to contact us for advice.
