European Union Finalizes New Rules for Packaging and Packaging Waste Reduction

The Council of the European Union and European Parliament recently concluded negotiations on the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Regulation.

The current text is going through a legal review but is now de-facto final and is expected to be formally adopted in the coming months. The Regulation introduces waste reduction targets and requires that all packaging placed on the EU market is recyclable and carries recycling labeling.

The Regulation also introduces new requirements for packaging minimization, minimum recycled content in plastic packaging, re-use targets for packaging, and bans certain packaging formats.