PPWR applies from 12 August 2026: what changes for brand owners, and how to be ready
The new EU regulation on packaging recyclability moves the responsibility upstream — to whoever puts the product on the shelf. Here's what the deadline means in practice, and how certified film solutions remove the documentation problem from the table.
A date that sits on your calendar, not just your supplier's
12 August 2026 is the application date of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (Reg. 2025/40). If your product reaches the European market in flexible packaging — food, beverages, consumer goods — this regulation now governs how the packaging around it must be designed, declared and documented.
The shift is structural. Until now, recyclability was largely a topic between the converter and the recycling chain. From August it becomes part of the compliance file of the brand owner. "Our packaging partner says it's recyclable" is no longer a sufficient answer in front of a retailer, an auditor, or a market surveillance authority.
Two regulatory milestones, one direction
Two pieces of EU legislation push in the same direction and need to be read together.
PPWR (Reg. 2025/40) — From 2030, only packaging classified A, B or C on the recyclability scale (minimum 70% recyclable) will be allowed on the EU market. The grading system itself becomes operative before that, which means the recyclability rating of the films you specify today will determine which products can still be listed in three years' time.
Green Communication Directive (Dir. 2024/825) — From 2026, every environmental claim communicated to consumers must be backed by scientific evidence and verified by an independent body. Generic claims such as "eco-friendly" or "100% recyclable" without a documented methodology behind them stop being legally usable.
The combined effect is straightforward: recyclability has to be both real and documentable, by an external party, against a recognised standard.
Independent certification as a working tool
This is where third-party certification stops being a marketing item and becomes a working tool for the compliance and packaging teams.
The DECOMAB and DECOLINE ranges hold
Interzero's "Made for Recycling" certification:
- DECOLINE: 19/20 — "Very Good"
- DECOMAB: 17/20 — "Good"
- 100% mass fraction available for recycling for both lines
The Interzero scheme is independently verified. Its methodology is developed by the bifa Umweltinstitut GmbH, testing is carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), and the assessment follows DIN EN 13430 and the minimum standards set by ZSVR (Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister).
For a brand owner, this translates into something concrete: a numeric score, an issuing body and a methodology that can be cited in a sustainability report, in a buyer's questionnaire, or in a regulatory dossier.
What this means for your packaging roadmap
If your 2030 packaging plan is still being drafted, the conversation to have now is no longer "is this film recyclable?". The right questions are:
- How recyclable, expressed as a score, and against which grading scale
- Who measured it, and according to which methodology
- Is the test report available, and does the certification refer to the specific structure you are buying
A film whose recyclability is already certified at the time of supply removes one item from your compliance backlog. A film without that documentation moves the work to your team.
Talk to us before August
The deadline doesn't move. Replacing a barrier shrink or recyclable PE structure in a validated packaging line is not a two-week exercise.
If you are reviewing your packaging portfolio against the PPWR timeline, we can support the technical evaluation and provide the certification documentation for the structures relevant to your application.