Debate
New EU packaging rules: what’s the impact for brands?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The PPWR has applied across the EU since 12 August 2026.
- From 2030, packaging will face new recyclability and minimisation requirements.
- Reducing weight and volume will need to be balanced with packaging functionality and, in some cases, protected designs.
- Glass manufacturers are already working on lightweighting, recycling and design solutions to help brands adapt.
From artisanal spirits to world-famous fragrances, packaging does much more than contain a product. It protects it, helps consumers recognise it and can become an important part of a brand’s identity.
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, or PPWR, is now changing the framework in which those choices are made. The Regulation has applied across the EU since 12 August 2026, with further requirements coming into force progressively over the next few years.
For brands, the challenge is to prepare for stricter rules on recyclability, packaging minimisation and reuse while continuing to protect products and preserve distinctive design.
The rules have changed
The PPWR replaces the former Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive with a common regulatory framework covering the full life cycle of packaging.
Its objectives include reducing packaging waste, improving recyclability, developing reuse and refill systems where appropriate and making packaging information more consistent across Europe.
Some measures already apply, while others will phase in towards 2030 and beyond. For brands, packaging regulation is therefore becoming an increasingly important part of product development.
Source: European Commission, New EU rules on packaging enter into application, 2026 – Read the European Commission update
What brands need to prepare for
From 2030, packaging placed on the EU market will have to comply with new recyclability requirements.
That means recyclability needs to be considered much earlier in the design process, alongside product protection, industrial performance and logistics.
Source: European Commission, Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation – Explore the PPWR requirements
Packaging design
still has a role
For many products, the bottle, jar or flacon is part of what makes the brand recognisable.
Shape, proportions, colour and texture can help consumers identify products and distinguish one brand from another. This is particularly important in sectors such as wines and spirits, perfumery, cosmetics and premium food.
Our company, as everyone in our industry, has devoted a great deal of time, resources, creativity and value to creating distinctive packaging that is uniquely associated with categories and brands.
Jose Ramón Fernandez, Pernod Ricard
The final PPWR does recognise some existing intellectual property rights. Under specific conditions, packaging designs or shapes protected before 11 February 2025 may benefit from an exception to the minimisation requirements where applying them would affect their distinctive character.
However, marketing and consumer acceptance do not on their own justify additional packaging weight or volume under the Regulation.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Article 10 and Recital 60 – Read the PPWR on EUR-Lex
Finding the right balance
MEET THE REQUIREMENTS
Packaging minimisation is now part of the regulatory framework.
For brands, this means demonstrating that the material used is necessary for the packaging to perform its functions. The discussion therefore moves beyond weight alone to consider protection, manufacturing, logistics and other technical requirements.
The Commission is continuing to develop guidance and secondary legislation to support practical implementation of the PPWR.
Source: European Commission, Guidance document for Regulation (EU) 2025/40, 2026 – Read the Commission guidance
KEEP ROOM FOR DESIGN
FEVE supports packaging minimisation while continuing to call for implementation rules that leave room for creativity, innovation and brand identity.
Its position is that environmental objectives and material efficiency need to be achieved without unnecessarily restricting distinctive packaging design or European intellectual property.
This is an industry position rather than a requirement of the Regulation itself.
Source: FEVE, Simpler packaging minimisation rules urgently needed, 2025 – Read FEVE’s position on packaging minimisation
How glass is adapting
Lightweighting is already well established in glass packaging.
In 2025, the average container weight produced by the European glass packaging industry fell to 277 g. The average standard still wine bottle sold reached 443 g.
For manufacturers and brands, the aim is to reduce the amount of glass required while maintaining the strength, quality and design needed for the product.
Source: FEVE, Annual Report: the 2025 industry update, 2026 – Discover the latest industry figures
What should brands do now?
The PPWR is no longer a proposal to watch. It is a framework brands need to work with.
As European container glass manufacturing, our commitments are fully in line with the EU’s ambition to build a circular economy and advance the circularity of packaging. […] Our main concern is that these waste reduction targets are not material-specific, but have only one overarching target. This might lead to severe market distortions and to a shift from heavier but circular materials (like glass), to lighter but harder to recycle, or reuse packaging.
Vanessa Chesnot
That makes now a good time to review packaging portfolios, identify where upcoming requirements apply and bring regulatory, packaging and brand teams together earlier in the design process.
For glass packaging, the conversation is increasingly about finding the right weight, designing for recycling, protecting the product and keeping the features that give a brand its identity.
The objective is not simply to adapt to new rules. It is to design packaging that works better within them.
