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PPWRCalendarEU

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation deadlines and compliance calendar

A calendar for sequencing packaging design, supplier evidence, EPR, labelling, reuse, refill, collection, and recycling work.

Use the date together with its responsible actor, scope, exception, and any dependency on a Commission act.

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Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
Oct 15, 2026
5 sections10 primary sources
Overview

Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (), applies generally from 12 August 2026, but that is not a single compliance deadline. This calendar separates operator duties, Member State duties, Commission deadlines, reviews, and dates calculated from future delegated or implementing acts. For every packaging family, record the responsible actor and the later-of formula before setting an internal due date.

Section 1

2025-2026: entry into force, national setup, PFAS, and first Commission acts

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 was published in the Official Journal on 22 January 2025 and entered into force on 11 February 2025. Article 11 says that packaging placed on the market from 11 February 2025 is considered reusable only when it meets all nine reusable-packaging conditions; that date does not make every reuse target immediately applicable.

The general application date is 12 August 2026. The food-contact packaging PFAS restriction in Article 5(5) applies from that date. Directive 94/62/EC is repealed then, but Article 70 preserves specified labelling, essential-requirement, recycling-target, and reporting provisions until their stated later dates.

  • 11 February 2025: entry into force; packaging placed on the market from this date is considered reusable only if it satisfies Article 11.
  • 31 December 2025: Member States that want a packaging-waste prevention base year other than 2018 must request it from the Commission.
  • 12 February 2026: statutory Commission deadline to adopt the Article 44 implementing acts for producer-register format and reporting. Member State registers are due within 18 months after the first such act enters into force, not automatically on this date.
  • 12 February 2026: statutory Commission deadline to request harmonised standards for compostable and home-compostable packaging; this is a Commission action, not an operator compliance date.
  • 12 August 2026: applies and Directive 94/62/EC is repealed except for specified transitional provisions.
  • 12 August 2026: food-contact packaging cannot be placed on the market if PFAS concentrations meet or exceed the Article 5(5) thresholds, unless another Union act already prohibits that placing on the market.
  • 12 August 2026: statutory Commission deadline to adopt implementing acts for harmonised packaging labels, receptacle labels, and digital material-composition marking; the operator labelling dates use separate later-of formulas.
Section 2

2027-2028: guidance, calculation methods, labelling rollout, refill, and compostability

The 2027 and 2028 dates mix direct operator duties with deadlines for Commission methods, guidance, and delegated acts. A missed or delayed Commission deadline does not justify inventing a specification; keep the statutory date in the register and calculate any dependent operator date from the act that is eventually adopted.

Direct operator milestones include bring-your-own-container take-away systems by 12 February 2027, reusable take-away offers by 12 February 2028, and the Article 9 compostability and material-recycling duties by 12 February 2028. Packaging and waste-receptacle labels start only under their distinct later-of formulas.

  • 12 February 2027: Member States must lay down penalty rules and notify them to the Commission.
  • 12 February 2027: Commission deadline to publish Annex V packaging-format restriction guidance.
  • 12 February 2027: Accommodation and food-service (HORECA) final distributors selling take-away beverages or ready-prepared food in take-away packaging must provide a system for consumers to bring their own container.
  • 12 February 2027: Commission deadline to establish the European observatory on re-use.
  • 30 June 2027: Commission deadline to adopt the methodology for calculating Article 29 re-use targets.
  • 1 January 2028: Commission deadline to adopt design-for-recycling criteria and recyclability performance grades.
  • 1 January 2028: Commission deadline for delegated acts on pooling conditions and reporting for beverage re-use target pools.
  • 1 January 2028: a Member State seeking the Article 50(5) exemption from setting up a deposit-and-return system must notify the Commission and submit an implementation plan; the exemption also depends on an 80% separate-collection rate for the relevant formats in 2026.
  • 12 February 2028: Commission deadline to review biobased plastic packaging and to adopt the empty-space calculation methodology.
  • 12 February 2028: permeable tea, coffee, or other beverage bags, soft after-use single-serve units, and fruit-and-vegetable sticky labels covered by Article 9(1) must be compatible with industrial composting standards and, where a Member State requires it, home-composting standards. Packaging outside Article 9(1) and (2), including other biodegradable packaging, must be designed for material recycling.
  • 12 February 2028: Accommodation and food-service (HORECA) final distributors selling take-away beverages or ready-prepared food must offer reusable packaging within a reuse system, except qualifying micro-enterprises.
  • 12 August 2028: packaging material-composition and voluntary recycled- or biobased-content labels use this date or 24 months after the relevant Article 12 implementing acts enter into force, whichever is later.
  • 12 August 2028: waste-receptacle labels use this date or 30 months from adoption of the Article 13(2) implementing acts, whichever is later.
  • 12 August 2028: Decision 97/129/EC is repealed.
Section 3

2029: deposit return and reusable-packaging labels

By 1 January 2029, Member States must achieve 90% annual separate collection by weight for covered single-use plastic beverage bottles and single-use metal beverage containers up to three litres. They must set up deposit-and-return systems for those formats unless an Article 50 exemption applies. Reusable-packaging labelling uses a different date: 12 February 2029 or 30 months after the relevant implementing act enters into force, whichever is later.

Producer registration is not a 2029-only milestone. Each Member State must establish its Article 44 register within 18 months after the first registration-format implementing act enters into force. Once the relevant register exists, a producer cannot make packaging or packaged products available for the first time in that Member State, or unpack them there without being an end user, unless the required registration is in place.

  • 12 February 2029: Article 67(5), amending Directive (EU) 2019/904, applies.
  • 12 February 2029: reusable packaging placed on the market must bear a reusable-packaging label from this date or 30 months from the linked implementing act, whichever is later.
  • 1 January 2029: Member States must set mandatory collection objectives consistent with recycling and recycled-content targets.
  • 1 January 2029: Member States must ensure at least 90% separate collection by weight per year for covered single-use plastic beverage bottles and single-use metal beverage containers up to three litres.
  • 1 January 2029: Member States must set up deposit-and-return systems and charge a deposit for covered formats unless an Article 50 exemption applies; Article 50(4) also excludes specified wine, aromatised wine, spirit, milk, and milk-product packaging.
  • 1 January 2029: new deposit-and-return systems must meet Annex X minimum requirements; existing systems that miss the 90% target must comply with Annex X by 1 January 2035.
  • 1 June each year after the reporting system applies: the producer, its authorised representative for extended producer responsibility (EPR), or the producer responsibility organisation specified by national law submits information for each full preceding calendar year. Article 44 provides a reduced Annex IX dataset below 10 tonnes, but a Member State may set a lower threshold for a specific year.
Section 4

2030: market restrictions, recyclability, recycled content, empty space, and reuse targets

The 2030 milestone combines different duties for manufacturers, importers, fillers, final distributors, other economic operators, producers, and Member States. Article 6 recyclability grades, Article 7 recycled-content percentages, Article 10 minimisation, Article 24 empty-space controls, Article 25 format restrictions, Article 28 refill-space expectation, Article 29 reuse targets, and Article 52 recycling targets each have their own scope and exceptions.

Some obligations use a later-of formula tied to delegated or implementing acts. The calendar owner should track both the fixed date and the act-entry date, then record which one controls each packaging family.

  • 1 January 2030 or 24 months after the Article 6(4) delegated acts enter into force, whichever is later: packaging must meet design-for-recycling criteria and achieve grade A, B, or C unless Article 6 provides an exclusion or derogation.
  • 1 January 2030 or three years after the Article 7(8) implementing act enters into force, whichever is later: minimum recycled-content targets apply to plastic parts of packaging, calculated as an annual manufacturing-plant average by packaging type and format, subject to Article 7 exclusions and adjustment powers.
  • 1 January 2030: Directive (EU) 2019/904 recycled-content provisions are deleted only from this date or three years from the Article 7(8) implementing act, whichever is later.
  • 1 January 2030: manufacturers and importers must ensure packaging weight and volume are reduced to the minimum necessary for functionality.
  • 1 January 2030: grouped, transport, and e-commerce packaging filled by economic operators must respect the 50% maximum empty-space ratio unless the Article 24 implementing-act timing makes a later date control.
  • 1 January 2030: packaging in the restricted formats and uses listed in Annex V cannot be placed on the market, subject to Article 25 derogations and exemptions.
  • 1 January 2030: final distributors with a sales area above 400 m2 must endeavour to dedicate 10% of that sales area to refill stations for food and non-food products.
  • 1 January 2030: Article 29 reuse targets begin for covered transport, grouped, and beverage sales packaging, with separate rules for closed-loop operator movements and same-Member-State B2B deliveries.
  • Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429 exempts economic operators that use pallet wrappings or straps to stabilise and protect products on pallets during transport from the 100% reuse requirements in Article 29(2) and (3). The decision does not exempt those formats from the separate 40% target in Article 29(1).
  • 1 January 2030: the obligation to demonstrate achievement of re-use targets starts from this date or 18 months from the re-use calculation implementing act, whichever is later.
  • 31 December 2030: Member States must reach 70% recycling by weight of all packaging waste and the material-specific Article 52 targets: 55% plastic, 30% wood, 80% ferrous metals, 60% aluminium, 75% glass, and 85% paper and cardboard, subject to the limited postponement mechanism.
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Section 5

2032-2040: reviews, recycled-at-scale, grade B, and 2040 targets

After the 2030 compliance wave, the calendar shifts to reporting, reviews, and higher thresholds. The Commission review dates matter because they can trigger legislative proposals or adjustments, but they are not themselves a substitute for binding operator deadlines.

The main long-range operator dates are the later-of date for recycled-at-scale assessment, 1 January 2038 for the grade A or B recyclability threshold, and 1 January 2040 for higher recycled-content percentages. Article 29's stated 2040 reuse levels are endeavour obligations, not the same legal form as its mandatory 2030 targets.

  • 12 February 2032: Commission review date for 2030 recycled-content percentages and the feasibility of 2040 percentages.
  • 12 February 2032: Commission review date for whether recycled-content measures or targets are appropriate for non-plastic packaging.
  • 12 February 2032: Commission review date for packaging-waste prevention targets and specific material targets.
  • 12 February 2032: Commission review date for 2030 recycling targets and possible increases or further targets.
  • 12 August 2033: Commission evaluation date for Article 5 substance requirements and Article 6 design-for-recycling criteria.
  • 1 January 2034: Commission report date for the implementation of 2030 re-use targets and feasibility of 2040 re-use targets.
  • 12 August 2034: Commission deadline to evaluate the regulation and report on its impact.
  • 1 January 2035 or five years after the Article 6(5) implementing acts enter into force, whichever is later: recycled-at-scale assessment applies.
  • 1 January 2035: existing single-use deposit-and-return systems that fail the 90% target by 1 January 2029 must comply with Annex X minimum requirements by this date.
  • 1 January 2038: packaging cannot be placed on the market unless it is recyclable within grade A or B.
  • 1 January 2040: higher Article 7 recycled-content percentages apply to plastic packaging.
  • 1 January 2040: Article 29 says covered operators shall endeavour to meet its higher reuse levels for transport, grouped, and beverage sales packaging; do not record those levels as mandatory percentages.
Primary sources

References and citations

European Commission: Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation
environment.ec.europa.eu6 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission overview used for policy context and to cross-check the main application timing and high-level PPWR measures.
  • Commission overview confirming mid-2026 application and the policy focus on recycled content, recyclability, labelling, reuse, refill, collection, and PFAS.
  • Commission overview describing clearer labelling, reuse, refill, collection, and single-use restrictions as core PPWR measures.
Show 3 more
  • Commission overview confirming that deposit return systems are a key PPWR collection measure.
  • Commission overview confirming that all packaging must be recyclable by 2030 and recycled-content targets increase for 2030 and 2040.
  • Commission overview confirming that recycled-content targets increase for 2030 and 2040.
"It replaces the existing Packaging Waste Directive."
More quoted passages
"The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation will begin to apply from mid-2026"
"People will be able to see what it’s made of, where to bin it, how to return it for reuse."
"Deposit and return systems will be boosted."
"All Packaging must be recyclable by 2030"
"Plastic packaging must be made in part from recycled content, with increasing targets for 2030 and 2040"
European Commission Notice C(2026) 3702: PPWR guidance
eur-lex.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Official non-binding guidance used for selected transition and interpretation points. It does not replace the PPWR text.
  • Official non-binding guidance on application, PFAS stock treatment, reusable packaging, recyclability timing, labelling, reuse, and deposit-return questions; the Regulation remains the binding source.
"This guidance document does not replace, add to, or amend the provisions of the PPWR"
Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429
data.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Binding exemption for economic operators using pallet wrappings or straps from the Article 29(2) and (3) 100% reuse requirements; the decision does not amend the Article 29(1) 40% target.
EUR-Lex summary: Packaging and packaging waste
eur-lex.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • EUR-Lex summary of the predecessor packaging-waste directive used for transition context and retained 2025 and 2030 recycling target background.
"Directive 94/62/EC will be repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) 2025/40"
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste
data.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Binding PPWR legal text used for all fixed dates, later-of date formulas, transitional provisions, and calendar obligations on this page.
"This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States."
Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Articles 12, 44, 45, 49, 50 and 71
data.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Binding PPWR source for reusable-packaging labelling, producer register, EPR, mandatory collection objectives, DRS collection targets, and Article 67(5) application.
"By 1 January 2029, Member States shall set mandatory collection objectives"
Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Articles 5, 6, 7, 29, 50, 52 and 69
data.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Binding PPWR source for post-2030 review dates, recycled-at-scale timing, grade B threshold, deposit-return transition, and 2040 target dates.
"from 1 January 2038 packaging shall not be placed on the market unless it is recyclable within grades A or B"
Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Articles 6, 7, 10, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 52 and 67
data.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Binding PPWR source for the 2030 recyclability, recycled-content, minimisation, empty-space, restricted-format, refill, reuse, and recycling target dates.
"From 1 January 2030, economic operators shall not place on the market packaging in the formats and for the uses listed in Annex V."

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