The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) has published the new regulation on packaging and packaging waste, a legal text that is “ambitious in its actions” and offers “a necessary perspective” to address the negative effects of packaging on the environment, according to Sofía Garín from inèdit.

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) published on 22 January Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and the Council, dated 19 December 2024, on packaging and packaging waste. The new regulation modifies the 2018 Packaging Directive and aims to prevent the generation of packaging waste, promote high-quality recycling, and create a market for secondary raw materials. The regulation will come into force 20 days after its publication in the OJEU, i.e., on 12 February 2025, and the measures it establishes will apply 18 months later, on 12 August 2026. For Sofía Garín, project manager at inèdit, the regulation “is ambitious in its actions, though it provides sufficient time for compliance.”

The regulation presents a significant challenge for the industry, which will have to rethink its packaging. Nevertheless, according to the expert from inèdit, various aspects of the new legal text remain uncertain for now and “pose questions that will be resolved through delegated acts as well as through collaborations, alliances, and the use of technology.”

inèdit is offering its support to companies to help forge these alliances, promote the circular economy, and advance the eco-design of packaging.

Key points of the new regulation on packaging and packaging waste

• – Prioritises reuse and recycling. From 2030, all packaging on the market must be recyclable or reusable, with standards that will become even stricter by 2038.
• – Sets mandatory recycled content targets for plastic packaging to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials.
• – Promotes more sustainable packaging designs: the weight and volume of packaging must be reduced to a minimum. It also seeks to prevent unnecessary packaging.
• – Restricts the use of harmful substances, such as PFAS, in packaging that comes into contact with food.
• – Introduces harmonised labelling, marking, and information requirements to facilitate waste separation and recycling for consumers and inform decision-making.

Furthermore, the regulation introduces restrictions on single-use plastic packaging: for fruits and vegetables pre-packaged in quantities below 1.5 kg; food and beverages served in hotels, bars, and restaurants; single-serving portions of condiments, sauces, milk for coffee, and sugar; single-use cosmetic and personal hygiene products in the hotel sector; and lightweight plastic bags used for bulk food.

It also establishes binding reuse targets for 2030 and indicative targets for 2040: 40% for transport and sales packaging, and 10% for collective packaging. Additionally, businesses offering takeaway products will have to allow customers to use their own containers to fill them at no extra cost.

The negative effects of packaging on the environment: An unresolved problem

Recycling rates have increased across the European Union. Nevertheless, the generation of packaging waste is growing faster than recycling efforts. In 2022, the European Union generated approximately 186.5 kg of packaging waste per person, including 36 kg of plastic packaging. This equates to half a kilo of packaging waste per person per day. Despite various revisions to the EU’s current Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, “it has not succeeded in satisfactorily reducing the negative effects of packaging on the environment,” according to the EU itself.

In this regard, the fact that the new regulation focuses its objectives on reduction through reuse provides “a necessary perspective to address the root of the problem of the inefficient use of resources and the generation of packaging waste,” according to the expert from inèdit.

Achieving this poses significant challenges. For Garín, achieving the goal of making all packaging recyclable by 2030 “will require a significant transformation of supply chains and recycling infrastructure.” This will depend not only on the design of the packaging but also on what happens at the end of the value chain – for example, whether enough material is recycled to make it economically viable or whether the quality of the resulting material is sufficient.

Another aspect Garín believes will require attention is the requirement for minimum recycled content: “Although this promotes the circular economy, the current recycled material market is not balanced in terms of supply and demand,” meaning that “it will be necessary to implement selective collection and improve the quality of materials after recycling.”

The expert from inèdit notes that the regulation does not ban single-use items but rather the material applied to single-use products – plastic – a fact that could shift the problem to using other materials such as cardboard with additional components that hinder recyclability or are derived from unsustainable sources. Therefore, she stresses, “it is essential to maintain a lifecycle perspective.”