Regulation (EU) 2025/40, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, establishes a harmonised legal framework across the EU for packaging and packaging waste. It replaces Directive 94/62/EC and introduces strengthened and directly applicable rules to reduce the environmental and health impacts of packaging throughout its life cycle.

The Regulation applies to all packaging placed on the EU market—across household, commercial, and industrial sectors—and lays down comprehensive requirements concerning packaging design, composition, labelling, recycling, reuse, and waste management.

Its key objectives include:

• Preventing and reducing the generation of packaging waste.
• Making all packaging recyclable in an economically viable manner by 2030.
• Increasing the use of recycled content and reducing dependence on virgin materials.
• Enhancing reuse and refill systems across the internal market.
• Promoting the safe use of recycled plastics and minimising substances of concern, such as PFAS.

The Regulation also introduces specific measures such as:

• Restrictions on certain single-use plastic packaging (e.g., pre-packed fruit and vegetables under 1.5 kg, and single-serve condiment containers).
• Obligations for take-away services to accept reusable containers provided by consumers.
• Targets for minimum recycled content in plastic packaging by 2030 and 2040.
• Requirements to minimise packaging weight and volume and avoid unnecessary packaging.

These measures are expected to contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, lower water consumption, and enhance the functioning of the internal market for packaging and secondary raw materials.