EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation Applies from August 12

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation 2025/40) entered into application on August 12, 2026, across all EU Member States, replacing the former Packaging Directive 94/62/EC. Immediate obligations include a ban on PFAS in food-contact packaging above strict concentration limits, a maximum 40% empty-space ratio for e-commerce packaging, EU declaration of conformity requirements for manufacturers, and extended producer responsibility registration. Further compliance milestones phase in through 2040. The regulation applies directly without national transposition, which creates harmonized legal certainty across the single market — but also means companies with EU operations must assess compliance against a common standard rather than a patchwork of national rules. Law firms advising on product liability, supply chain, and sustainability disclosure should build PPWR compliance into client risk mapping immediately.