{"id":36183,"date":"2025-06-16T08:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T06:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=36183"},"modified":"2025-06-16T08:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T06:25:54","slug":"new-rules-for-the-packaging-industry-in-the-eu-a-key-role-for-businesses-and-extended-producer-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/06\/16\/new-rules-for-the-packaging-industry-in-the-eu-a-key-role-for-businesses-and-extended-producer-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"New rules for the EU packaging industry: A key role for shops and extended producer responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Union is implementing far-reaching changes in the field of packaging and packaging waste with the aim of achieving a low-carbon circular economy and climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest. These new regulations<\/span><\/a>which are acquiring Effective from 12 August 2026, they set strict requirements for the entire life cycle of packaging, from its design to waste treatment. This brings significant changes and new obligations for retailers and packaging manufacturers.<\/p>\n

Why the new rules? Reasons and objectives<\/strong> Commission (Eurostat) statistics for 2010-2021 show that packaging consumes a huge amount of primary raw materials \u2013 40 % of plastic and 50 % of paper used in the Union. Packaging also accounts for 36 % of municipal solid waste. The high and constantly increasing amount of packaging produced, the low level of its reuse and recycling represent obstacles to achieving a circular economy. Disparate rules in Member States have led to uncertainty and additional costs for economic operators.<\/p>\n

The new regulation aims to reduce the amount of packaging placed on the market in terms of volume and weight, prevent packaging waste and increase the reuse and recycling of packaging. The total amount of packaging waste per capita is to be reduced by at least 5 % by 2030<\/strong>, about 10 % by 2035<\/strong> about 15 % by 2040<\/strong> compared to 2018.<\/p>\n

Key packaging sustainability requirements for businesses:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Packaging recyclability<\/strong>: From 1 January 2030, all packaging placed on the market must be recyclable. Recyclability will be expressed in terms of performance classes A, B or C. From 1 January 2038, packaging may not be placed on the market unless it is recyclable to at least class B. Design for recycling criteria will be set at Union level and will take into account, for example, the separability of components, the efficiency of sorting and recycling, as well as the presence of substances of concern.<\/li>\n
  2. Minimum recycled content in plastic packaging<\/strong>: From 1 January 2030, plastic packaging must contain a minimum percentage of recycled content from post-consumer plastic waste. For example, PET contact-sensitive packaging must contain 30 % of recycled content, while single-use plastic beverage bottles must contain 30 % and other plastic packaging must contain 35 %. These targets increase from 1 January 2040 (e.g. to 50 % for PET contact-sensitive packaging and 65 % for single-use plastic beverage bottles). The rules also require that the recycled content be obtained in an environmentally sustainable manner.<\/li>\n
  3. Minimizing packaging<\/strong>: Packaging must be designed to reduce its weight and volume to the minimum necessary to ensure its functionality. Packaging with double walls, false bottoms and other features intended only to increase the perceived volume of the product, as well as redundant packaging, are prohibited. The void ratio in group, transport and e-commerce packaging must not exceed 50 % from 1 January 2030.<\/li>\n
  4. Reuse and refill<\/strong>: The regulation promotes reusable packaging and reuse schemes. Economic operators placing reusable packaging on the market must ensure that a reuse scheme is in place. Quantitative reuse targets are set for selected sectors, such as beverages consumed away from the point of sale and transport packaging (e.g. 10 % for beverages in consumer packaging by 2030, with exemptions for perishable products). Restaurants, bars and caf\u00e9s must offer the option of purchasing drinks and food in reusable or own containers.<\/li>\n
  5. Substances of concern<\/strong>: Packaging must minimise the presence and concentration of substances of concern such as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and BPA (bisphenol A), particularly in packaging that comes into contact with food. From 12 August 2026, food contact packaging containing PFAS above the specified limit values may not be placed on the market.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)<\/strong> Producers have an extended responsibility for the management of packaging waste that they make available for the first time on the territory of a Member State. This responsibility includes financial contributions that must cover the costs of collection, sorting, treatment of waste, as well as the labelling of waste containers and the determination of the composition of mixed municipal waste. Producers must register in national producer registers. Financial contributions may be modulated on the basis of recyclability performance classes and the percentage of recycled content.<\/p>\n

    Labeling and backup systems<\/strong> From 12 August 2028, packaging placed on the market must bear a harmonised label informing about the material composition, which will make sorting easier for consumers. Reusable packaging will have a label informing about its reusability and referring to reuse schemes, often via a QR code. Member States must introduce by 1 January 2029 mandatory deposit systems<\/strong> for single-use plastic beverage bottles and metal beverage containers with a capacity of up to three liters, with the aim of achieving a minimum of 90 % of separate collection. These systems have strict requirements for operation, ensuring, for example, a sufficient deposit and transparency of fees.<\/p>\n

    The new EU regulations represent a comprehensive framework that is set to fundamentally change the way packaging is designed, used and managed. For companies in the packaging industry, this means the need to adapt and invest in more sustainable solutions and processes. Spring<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

    Glossary of key terms<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Primary production packaging:<\/strong> An object designed and intended for use as packaging for unprocessed primary products (e.g. in agriculture). Its introduction is intended to prevent farmers from being considered producers under the Regulation.<\/li>\n
    • Consumer packaging:<\/strong> Packaging that constitutes a sales unit consisting of the product and the packaging for the end user at the point of sale.<\/li>\n
    • Group packaging:<\/strong> Packaging intended to form a group of a certain number of sales units at the point of sale. It can be removed without affecting the characteristics of the product.<\/li>\n
    • Incorporated component:<\/strong> An integral part of a packaging unit that ensures its functionality and is usually discarded with the main body of the packaging.<\/li>\n
    • Separate component:<\/strong> A component of the packaging that is distinct from the main body and must be completely and permanently dismantled from it, usually discarded earlier and separately.<\/li>\n
    • Manufacturer (Contractor):<\/strong> A natural or legal person who has packaging or a packaged product designed or manufactured under his own name or trademark. For micro-enterprises, a packaging supplier in the same Member State.<\/li>\n
    • Substances of concern:<\/strong> Substances whose presence in packaging should be minimized and phased out to avoid adverse effects on human health and the environment.<\/li>\n
    • Recyclability (performance classes A, B, C):<\/strong> The ability of packaging to be separately collected, sorted into specific waste streams and recycled on a large scale. Classes A, B, C indicate the level of recyclability.<\/li>\n
    • Large-scale recycling:<\/strong> Confirmation that packaging waste is effectively recycled in the installed infrastructure using established and proven separate collection, sorting and recycling processes.<\/li>\n
    • Recycled content:<\/strong> The amount of recycled material obtained from the recovery of post-consumer plastic waste that is used in new plastic packaging.<\/li>\n
    • HORECA:<\/strong> Hotel, restaurant and catering sector. The regulation addresses the restriction of single-use packaging for this sector.<\/li>\n
    • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):<\/strong> The principle whereby producers bear financial and\/or organizational responsibility for the management of waste from their products.<\/li>\n
    • Authorized representative for extended producer responsibility:<\/strong> An entity designated by the manufacturer to fulfil the obligations of the RZS in a Member State where the manufacturer is not established.<\/li>\n
    • Backup systems:<\/strong> Systems in which a defined amount of money (deposit) is collected from the end user when purchasing a packaged product and is returned when the packaging is returned to a collection point.<\/li>\n
    • Very light plastic bags:<\/strong> Plastic bags with a wall thickness of less than 15 microns, the use of which is restricted except for hygiene reasons or the packaging of moist foods.<\/li>\n
    • Waste prevention:<\/strong> Measures aimed at reducing the amount of packaging waste generated, including minimising the weight and volume of packaging and promoting reuse.<\/li>\n
    • Microenterprise:<\/strong> A small enterprise covered by the specific definition in Recommendation 2003\/361\/EC, with potential exemptions from certain obligations of the Regulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The European Union is implementing far-reaching changes in the field of packaging and packaging waste with the aim of achieving a low-carbon circular economy and climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest. These new regulations, which take effect<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esg_legislativa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36183\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}