If you’re not part of the packaging industry, the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) might be the most significant piece of legislation you’ve never heard of.
That might explain why only around 10% of UK businesses are fully ready for it[1], even though many of its measures begin to take effect in August 2026. Once this happens, packaging will fundamentally change forever. That will impact every industry that relies on packaging, the ripples from which will extend far beyond the borders of the EU. It’s a watershed moment for the global supply chain, putting sustainable packaging design at the centre of every commercial decision.
That’s a lot to take in for brands that already have so many challenges to deal with. The main question is: “How will PPWR affect my business?”
Below, we’ll lay out what this legislation means for you and how you can respond.
What is PPWR?
The EU website provides a detailed overview of PPWR. In summary, PPWR is a collection of packaging reforms that aims to reduce packaging waste. To do this, it includes a number of measures to boost recycling rates and make packaging design more efficient.
These measures include:
- Packaging waste reduction targets: member states must reduce packaging waste per person compared with 2018 levels by 5% by 2030, increasing to 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040.
- Recyclability requirements: From 2030, packaging placed on the EU market will need to meet design-for-recycling requirements and achieve recyclability performance grades. From 2035, recyclability assessments will also include whether packaging is recycled at scale through real collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure. While this target applies to countries, not individual brands, it will increase pressure on businesses to use packaging formats that are easy to collect, sort, and recycle.
- Recycling targets (for member states): Separately, EU member states must recycle at least 70% of all packaging waste by weight by 31 December 2030, including 85% of paper and cardboard packaging waste.
- Void fill and empty space rules: From 2030, grouped, transport, and e-commerce packaging will be subject to a maximum 50% empty space ratio. Void fill, such as paper, air cushions, bubble wrap, and foam fillers count as empty space. Brands using oversized boxes or excess protective fill will need to review their pack sizing and transit protection. Right-sizing becomes essential.
- Restrictions on certain single-use packaging formats: From 2030, PPWR restricts several unnecessary single-use packaging formats, including some single-use plastic grouped packaging, packaging for small quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables, single-serve formats for the hospitality industry, and miniature hotel toiletry packaging.
- Reuse and refill rules: PPWR includes reuse and refill obligations for certain packaging types and sectors. Cardboard boxes are exempt from some transport packaging reuse targets, but brands will still face growing pressure to show that their packaging is efficient, recyclable, and appropriate for its application.
- Enhanced packaging data collection requirements: Brands will need to collect better information on packaging weight, material composition, recyclability, and recycled content to support compliance and EPR reporting.
It replaced the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) in February 2025, although its rules do not apply for the first 18 months – until 12 August 2026 – to give businesses time to prepare.
While some of the most talked-about requirements, including recyclability grading, recycled content targets, and the 50% void-fill limit, are phased in later, brands should use the 2026 application date as the point to start auditing packaging specifications, supplier documentation, material choices, and EPR data.
What’s the difference between PPWR and PPWD?
The answer to this question lies in the difference between an EU Directive and a Regulation. In simple terms, a Directive is a compulsory target that a country is required to hit, but it is free to do so however it wishes. In the context of PPWD, this created a set of recycling targets across the EU but left each member state to its own devices to hit them. This created a system where recycling infrastructure and systems vary wildly across the EU.
A Regulation is directly applicable and legally binding. It creates both the targets and the mechanism for hitting them and applies them equally across all member states. The aim is to create harmonisation across the EU, so this fragmented system will gradually unify. Over time, a pack that can be recycled in Germany will be recycled just as easily in Slovenia, helping to improve recycling rates across Europe.
Why does PPWR affect the UK?
The short answer is that it’s impossible to create sweeping rules affecting an economic area with half a billion people in it without affecting neighbouring countries.
Even if your business doesn’t deal directly with the EU today, one of your suppliers or customers will. And the packaging they use will be affected by PPWR – it’s unavoidable. If you want to place products on the EU market either today or in the future, those products will need to meet PPWR’s strict packaging requirements.
What can I do to get PPWR compliant?
The main thing for businesses is to strategically rethink the design of their packaging. Everything from the materials used to the size and shape of the pack to its compatibility with real-world recycling systems needs to be evaluated and documented.
That means reducing or replacing plastic materials with more recyclable alternatives where possible and overhauling designs to ensure they’re efficiently utilising space. Crucially, this must be done without compromising on performance.
A lightweight box that fails through the supply chain is not sustainable; it’s waste. And the point of PPWR is to reduce waste.
How can corrugated packaging support FMCG brands with PPWR compliance?
Corrugated packaging is perfectly suited to this new reality. One of the key challenges of PPWR is that it demands a tricky balance between void fill restrictions and product protection. However, with our corrugated design expertise, this is a challenge we overcome on every project.
Corrugated board is available in many grades and thicknesses. Flute profiles can be tweaked to adjust weight, stacking strength, printing quality, and other attributes. Double and triple-walled structures can be used to boost product protection. Different closure systems, including tear tape, locking tabs, crash-lock bases, and more, can optimise weight, structure, and the consumer experience.
All of this and more can be tweaked and tailored to meet the exact needs of each application. This means corrugated board can be used for a wide range of projects, from visually striking display solutions to highly functional transit packaging. And, of course, it’s already widely recycled at scale, so it isn’t dependent on the future growth of recycling infrastructure to help brands hit their targets.
How can BoxWay help?
Using less packaging should not necessarily be the goal; using the right packaging should. And corrugated packaging is right for more applications than you might first think, especially in the age of PPWR.
At BoxWay, our priority is pragmatic improvement, not panic. Corrugated material offers a strong foundation, and we’ll work with you to build on it, creating a pack that balances sustainability, strength, efficiency, and cost. That means assessing the full packaging requirement, from product protection and material use to logistics, storage, packing speed, and recyclability.
This design-led approach means our customers can reduce waste without weakening performance. They can remove excess material, improve pack efficiency, simplify recycling, and create packaging that is better prepared for the regulatory and commercial demands ahead.
PPWR is a chance to change the packaging conversation. And the businesses that act now will be better placed to lead that conversation by reducing waste, controlling costs, and proving that sustainable packaging is the future.
Learn more about our packaging services and how we can support your business with custom cardboard solutions.
[1] https://www.automotivelogistics.media/packaging/is-the-packaging-world-on-track-with-ppwr/2590707
