Your Strategic Partner in the PPWR Transition
The European packaging landscape is changing fundamentally. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is not just advice; it is a law that affects every business in the EU. At PouchDirect, we translate these complex rules into workable solutions. We ensure you meet tomorrow's standards so you can focus on your growth today.
What is the PPWR exactly?
The PPWR is the new European regulation governing the entire lifecycle of packaging. The EU aims to stop the growing mountain of waste and become independent regarding raw materials. Unlike previous directives, this is a Regulation (EU) 2025/40: one central law that applies directly to every country in the EU. This finally creates a level playing field for all entrepreneurs.
Why Stand-Up Pouches are the Ideal PPWR Packaging
The PPWR looks at the total environmental impact. Stand-up pouches score exceptionally high on these criteria:
- Material Reduction: A pouch weighs up to 70% less than glass, cans or rigid plastic packaging. Less material means lower waste taxes.
- Transport Efficiency: Unprinted pouches take up minimal space. You can transport millions of pouches in a single truck, whereas jars or bottles would require dozens.
- Mono-material Revolution: Our mono-material pouches are fully recyclable within the new EU waste streams.
The Three Pillars of Future-Proof Packaging
Sustainability only succeeds when the balance is right. We safeguard three essential values for your brand:
- Maximum Recyclability: We guide your transition to mono-materials that meet the strictest recycling standards of 2030.
- Product Quality Preservation: Sustainability must never lead to food waste. We advise you on barriers that protect your product from light, air, and moisture.
- Consumer Safety: Every material change must guarantee health. We work exclusively with certified, food-safe materials.
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PPWR roadmap: key deadlines for businesses
The path towards 2035 has largely been defined. We closely monitor regulatory developments and help you prepare your packaging for new requirements in good time.
| Year | Legislation and regulation | What this means for your packaging |
| 2026 | PPWR application and PFAS limits. The PPWR will generally apply from 12 August 2026. From that date, food-contact packaging may no longer be placed on the market if it contains PFAS above the specified limits. | Review the material specifications of your current packaging together with us. Request the available compliance information and verify whether the materials used are suitable for their intended application. |
| 2027 | Market development: GS1 Ambition 2027. The retail sector is working towards making point-of-sale systems worldwide capable of processing both traditional linear barcodes and 2D codes by the end of 2027. This is a voluntary industry initiative and not a PPWR requirement. Linear barcodes will therefore not automatically be fully replaced in 2027. | Allow sufficient space for a GS1-compliant 2D code when making future design changes. During the transition period, a linear barcode and a 2D code may need to appear alongside each other. |
| 2028 | Harmonised packaging labels. Harmonised EU labels for packaging material composition and waste separation will be introduced. The requirements will generally apply from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the relevant implementing rules enter into force, whichever date is later. | Reserve sufficient space on your artwork or label. Update the markings once the final symbols and application rules have been established. |
| 2030 | Packaging minimisation and empty space. Packaging must be reduced in weight and volume to what is functionally necessary. Grouped packaging, transport packaging and e-commerce packaging will generally be subject to a maximum empty-space ratio of 50%. | Review the packaging format, filling volume and required level of product protection. We can help you select a pouch that fits your product and avoids unnecessary empty space. |
| 2030 | Design for recycling and recycled content. From 2030, packaging must be designed for recycling in accordance with defined criteria. Certain plastic packaging formats will also be subject to minimum levels of post-consumer recycled content. The exact percentages and exemptions will depend on the packaging type and its intended use. | Check whether a recyclable mono-material such as PE or PP is suitable for your product and its required barrier properties. Only communicate claims about recyclability and recycled content when they are specific and supported by evidence. |
| 2035 | Recycling at scale. Legislation and regulation: recycling at scale. From 2035, packaging must not only be designed for recycling. It must also be demonstrably collected, sorted and recycled at scale. | Consider both the material structure and the available sorting and recycling infrastructure. PouchDirect can help you assess packaging solutions and prepare them for future requirements. |
Sunrise 2027: This is the global shift in retail from traditional barcodes to 2D codes (like QR codes). QR codes give you space for extra info on shelf life, origin, and recycling.
National Compliance: Your Action Plan per Country
The PPWR is an EU law, but national governments manage the implementation. Use this overview to identify your local registration points and the parties responsible for execution, control, and official guidance.
| Country | National Law / System Name | Where to Register | Execution & Control |
| Sweden | EPR for Packaging | Naturvårdsverket portal | Control: Naturvårdsverket. |
| Denmark | Producer Responsibility | DPA | Control: DPA. |
| Finland | Producer Responsibility | Rinki platform | Execute: Rinki. Control: ELY Centre. |
| Norway** | EPR for Packaging | Grønt Punkt Norge | Execute: PRO structure. Control: Env. Agency. |
| Netherlands | UPV Verpakkingen | Verpact (formerly Afvalfonds) | Execute: Verpact. Control: ILT. |
| Germany | Verpackungsgesetz (VerpackG) | LUCID Packaging Register | Execute: Dual Systems. Control: ZSVR. |
| France | REP (filière EMPAP) | SYDEREP (ADEME) | Control: ADEME. Execute: Citeo or Léko. |
| Spain | Real Decreto 1055/2022 | MITECO Register | Control: MITECO. Execute: Ecoembes. |
| Italy | DLGS 152/2006 | CONAI Portal | Control: CONAI. Execute: Consortia. |
| Poland | BDO System | BDO (Waste Database) | Control: Marshal's Office. Execute: PROs. |
| Austria | VVO 2014 (updated) | EDM Portal | Control: BML. Execute: ARA or ERP. |
| Belgium | IVR / IVIE | Fost Plus / Valipac | Control: Interregional Pack. Commission. |
**Norway: Although non,EU, Norway follows most rules via the EEA agreement. Only companies with a Norwegian VAT number register at a PRO directly.
Other Countries
Europe consists of many more markets, such as Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, and many more. Each region applies the PPWR framework through its own local authorities and registration systems. Are you selling in a country not listed in our table? Ask us for advice. We provide the material data you need to satisfy any national authority in the EU.
PouchDirect: Expertise Beyond the Pouch
The PPWR impacts every part of your process. This ranges from dosing with measuring scoops to sealing with professional sealers. Even small details, like your choice of tin-ties, influence the final recyclability. PouchDirect shares in-depth packaging expertise to make your entire chain PPWR-proof.
Within the supply chain, we all share the responsibility to comply with the PPWR. In this process, PouchDirect acts as the importer and distributor of the empty packaging. However, the moment you fill the pouches and place them on the market as a filled product under your own brand, you (as the filler or brand owner) are responsible for the reporting and registration obligations (such as with your national packaging registers). Of course, we won't leave you out in the cold! We fully support you in this obligation by providing all the necessary technical documentation regarding the packaging itself. Together, we will make sure everything is perfectly sorted!
No. You do not need to keep track of every rule and change within the PPWR yourself.
PouchDirect follows the regulations and translates them into what matters for your packaging. We help you choose a pouch that suits your product while taking current and future PPWR requirements into account.
This allows you to focus on your product while we bring the packaging knowledge needed to make the right choice.
The best choice depends on your product and the requirements the packaging needs to meet. There is no single material that is the best choice for every product.
A good pouch protects the product, supports the required shelf life and does not use more material than necessary. At the same time, you should consider the recyclability of the complete packaging.
Start by looking at the packaging you currently use. Check which materials and components the pouch is made from and how recyclable it is.
Then look at whether you can reduce unnecessary material and whether parts such as the zipper and valve fit well with the rest of the packaging.
Developing a new pouch? Take the future PPWR requirements into account from the start.
PouchDirect can help assess your current or new pouch.
That depends on the pouch. Not every packaging type currently in use will need to be replaced from 2030.
Important factors include the material structure, the different components and how recyclable the complete pouch is. The European criteria that will apply to your packaging also play a role.
PouchDirect can assess your current pouch and indicate whether changes may be needed or which alternatives are available.
Yes, for certain plastic packaging. Starting in 2030, the PPWR sets requirements regarding the amount of recycled plastic to be used in these packaging types.
The required amount depends on the type of packaging. Different percentages apply, and there are exceptions. Therefore, there is no single percentage that applies to all plastic packaging.
The requirements applicable to a pouch thus depend on the type of packaging and its intended use.
From 12 August 2026, the PPWR sets limits on the amount of PFAS in packaging that comes into contact with food.
PFAS are chemical substances that can occur in some materials.
At PouchDirect, we carefully check the available documentation for our packaging. If additional information is needed, we request it from our suppliers.
This helps you choose packaging with confidence that meets the applicable European requirements.
From 2030, several PPWR requirements will become more important for packaging in Europe.
Packaging will need to meet new recyclability requirements, and more attention must be paid to the amount of material used. For certain plastic packaging, requirements for the use of recycled material will also apply.
The exact requirements depend on the type of packaging.
No. Just because a pouch is made from paper does not automatically mean that it meets the PPWR requirements.
The complete packaging is taken into account. This includes the different materials, coatings, zipper and other parts. The weight, amount of material and recyclability also play a role.
Paper can therefore be a good choice, but this depends on the complete pouch and how it is made.
Yes. Mono PE and mono PP pouches provide a good basis for packaging designed for recycling.
However, the main material is not the only thing that matters. Parts such as the zipper and valve also affect recyclability. In addition, the European criteria for recyclability are still being further developed.
PouchDirect follows these developments and takes them into account when developing and selecting pouches.
That is why we always look at the complete material structure of a pouch, not just whether it is made from PE or PP.
No. The PPWR does not require every pouch to be made from mono-material.
A pouch must meet the recyclability requirements that apply to that type of packaging. The complete packaging is taken into account, not just the main material. Mono-material, such as PE or PP, can help make a pouch more suitable for recycling, but it does not automatically guarantee that the packaging meets all PPWR requirements.
Yes, recyclability is an important part of the PPWR. From 2030, stricter requirements will be introduced step by step.
How recyclable a package is will be assessed using European criteria. Some of these criteria are still being developed. This means you cannot determine whether packaging will meet all future requirements based on the material alone.
PouchDirect follows these developments and takes them into account when developing and selecting pouches.
There is an important rule for your older stock regarding the moment of filling. The European Commission states that unfilled sales packaging (like our empty pouches) is legally "placed on the market" at the exact moment you fill and seal them, and not when we deliver them to you. Practically, this means that any stock you fill and sell after August 12, 2026, will also fall under the new PPWR requirements, regardless of when we delivered the empty pouches. But don't worry at all! Just get in touch with us regarding this existing stock. We will gladly send you the updated declaration for each material structure, so you can simply use your current stock without having to reorder your products.
Yes, we make sure your paperwork is completely in order! In our Declaration of Conformity (DoC), you will find an explicit reference to Article 5 of the new Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (the PPWR). Besides that, the document naturally includes the familiar references to existing food contact legislation, such as Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and Regulation (EU) 10/2011. Do you need this document to complete your own compliance file? You can always easily request this documentation from us.
Yes, in addition to PFAS, there are also strict limits for heavy metals that you need to take into account. Article 5 of the PPWR sets a combined maximum limit of 100 mg/kg for lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium. Fortunately, this isn't a major change or any reason to worry! This limit is actually not new; it originally comes from the older Directive 94/62/EC. It has simply been carried over unchanged into the new PPWR. So, if you were already compliant with the old rules, you are still good to go!
No, a lab report is not required by default. According to Article 5 of the PPWR, you are not obligated to prove compliance with the PFAS limits using a laboratory report. A simple written declaration from the manufacturer stating that no PFAS has been intentionally added is a completely valid and sufficient basis. You only need a lab report with concrete figures if PFAS is actually present in a product, or if the manufacturer cannot provide such a declaration. So, in most cases, you are good to go without any extra paperwork!
Yes, you can use our packaging with complete peace of mind! Our pouches fully comply with the new PFAS restrictions. Article 5 of the PPWR sets strict limits for food contact packaging: there is a maximum of 25 ppb per individual PFAS substance, a maximum of 250 ppb in total, and a maximum of 50 ppm if you include polymeric PFAS. For all the materials and structures we offer, our suppliers have officially declared that no PFAS has been intentionally added. This means our products are perfectly in line with the new standard, ensuring your packaging is safe and compliant.
The PPWR (Regulation EU 2025/40) stands for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. It is the latest European packaging law, specifically created to make packaging rules stricter and much more consistent across Europe. A crucial part of this new legislation is Article 5, which focuses heavily on so-called 'substances of concern', such as heavy metals and PFAS. These specific rules will officially come into effect on August 12, 2026. From that day forward, they will apply directly and without any exceptions across all EU Member States.
No, transition periods exist. PouchDirect advises ordering PPWR-proof pouches now, preventing unsellable stock in the future.
The EU enforces strict rules with fines and potential sales bans. PouchDirect ensures you stay ahead of these risks.
Absolutely, PouchDirect uses only PCR material meeting the strictest EFSA standards. Food safety remains our non,negotiable requirement.
Yes, the law applies to everyone placing packaged products on the European market. PouchDirect supports everyone, from the starting coffee roaster to the large purchase manager.
Yes, but monitor the material. PouchDirect recommends labels made from the same material as the pouch, such as a PE-sticker on a PE-pouch. This keeps the entire package a mono,material and prevents your pouch from ending up in an incinerator due to a "polluting" label.
Why PouchDirect Acts as Your Guide
With 15 years of experience and 10,000+ customers in Europe, PouchDirect leads as the specialist in stand-up pouches. Our value goes beyond our 3 million pouches in stock and 600+ products. PouchDirect translates complex legislation into a safe stock and a worry-free future for your brand.
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