PPWR: Industry Calls for Clarifications as August 2026 Deadline Approaches

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) applies from 12 August 2026. With less than two months to go, a public disagreement between two groups of industry players has drawn attention to a genuine problem: some key technical requirements of the PPWR still lack the detailed guidance that businesses need to comply.

What the first group of companies asked for

On 29 April 2026, more than 100 companies signed a joint letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU institutional leaders. The signatories included Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald's, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Red Bull, Carlsberg, and a large number of glass and packaging manufacturers.

The letter focused on a specific set of concerns. The companies argued that the regulation will apply before the Commission has published the necessary technical rules and guidance needed to comply with it. This creates legal uncertainty and makes it difficult to make investment decisions. They asked the Commission to:

• Postpone Article 5(5) on PFAS restrictions in food contact packaging until testing methods and definitions are officially published
• Review the ban on single-use plastic packaging (Annex V), including clarification on whether it applies to plastic shrink wrap on multipacks
• Review the recyclability requirements and design for recycling rules (Article 6)
• Review recycled content targets (Article 7), reuse targets (Article 29), and sorting label requirements (Article 12)

A specific technical issue raised was the lack of an agreed method to measure PFAS in packaging, including how to distinguish between substances that are added on purpose and those that are present as a result of contamination.

Read the full industry letter here: April 2026 PPWR CEO Letter

What the second group responded

On 13 May 2026, more than 150 organisations including consumer groups, environmental organisations, and businesses committed to reuse sent a counter-letter. Their position was clear: the PPWR went through the full EU legislative process and should not be reopened or delayed. They also stated that the signatories of the first letter represented specific commercial interests and did not speak for the entire packaging value chain.

A further coalition of approximately 200 companies also later wrote to the Commission, asking it not to reopen the regulation and instead to use the available tools under the PPWR, such as implementing acts and delegated acts, to provide the technical clarifications that companies need.

Read the full counter-letter here: BFFP Letter regarding PPWR industry pushback

Where things stand now

As of June 2026, the Commission has published guidance documents to help businesses apply the PPWR. There are no official signals of an overall postponement of the regulation. The Commission has committed to clarifying the Annex V rules on plastic shrink wrap by February 2027.

What this means for your business

Regardless of which side of this debate you agree with, the practical situation is the same. The PPWR will apply from 12 August 2026. Some technical details are still being worked out, but the core obligations are in place. Waiting for full clarity before starting compliance work is not an option.

If your business produces, imports, or uses packaging in the EU, you should now review which PPWR requirements apply to your products, check where guidance is still pending and document your approach, and monitor Commission publications on implementing and delegated acts closely.

The PFAS restriction under Article 5(5) is the area with the most outstanding technical questions. If your packaging involves food contact materials, this is the provision to watch most closely in the coming weeks.