EU EPR & PPWR Compliance: The Complete Guide to Packaging Regulations in Europe.
Everything producers, importers, brand owners and e-commerce sellers need to know about Extended Producer Responsibility and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation — in one place.
If your business places packaged products on the EU market, packaging compliance is no longer only a waste-management issue. It affects product design, data collection, registration, reporting, labelling, recyclability claims, recycled content planning, fees and market access.
Explore country EPR guidance without registration.
Use the country links below to review registration routes, reporting obligations, producer responsibility organisations, deadlines and practical compliance risks for each market.
- Country-specific registration routes
- Packaging reporting obligations and deadlines
- Producer responsibility organisation guidance
- Packaging data and compliance risk considerations
What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging?
Extended Producer Responsibility is a regulatory approach where the producer is made responsible for the end-of-life management of products and packaging placed on a market. For packaging, this usually means registering with national producer responsibility systems, reporting packaging placed on the market, paying fees, and supporting collection, sorting and recycling systems.
In practice, the obligated “producer” is often not the packaging manufacturer. It may be the importer, brand owner, distance seller, marketplace seller, or company that first makes the packaged product available in a specific EU country.
Under EPR, the entity that first places the packaged product on the national market is typically the obligated producer — regardless of where the packaging was manufactured.
This is why companies selling across Europe often face multiple registrations, country-specific reporting formats, different fee structures and different deadlines.
What is the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)?
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, often called PPWR, is the EU’s new regulation for packaging placed on the European market. Adopted as Regulation (EU) 2025/40, it replaces the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive with a directly applicable EU-wide framework.
The PPWR introduces requirements for recyclability, packaging minimisation, recycled content, labelling, reuse, substances of concern and declaration of conformity obligations. It is designed to reduce packaging waste, improve circularity and make compliance requirements more consistent across the EU.
EPR and PPWR are closely connected. EPR remains country-specific and operational, while PPWR sets EU-level product and packaging design requirements. Companies should treat them as two parts of the same compliance system.
PPWR requirements covered in this guide.
The PPWR covers the full packaging life cycle, from design and material selection to labelling, reuse, waste prevention and conformity documentation.
Substances of concern
Companies need to assess restricted substances and material composition requirements relevant to packaging.
Recyclability
Packaging must be designed for recycling and may need to meet performance grades over time.
Recycled content
Certain plastic packaging types will be subject to minimum recycled content targets.
Packaging minimisation
Packaging should be reduced to what is necessary for product safety, hygiene and acceptance.
Labelling and marking
New information and sorting instructions may apply, including harmonised EU labelling rules.
Declaration of conformity
Companies may need technical documentation and a declaration confirming packaging conformity.
EPR registration: country-by-country requirements.
Every EU Member State operates its own EPR scheme for packaging. Each country guide below covers national registration routes, reporting processes, producer responsibility organisations and payment workflows.
Each country page is public and covers national registration, reporting, producer responsibility organisation obligations, packaging data requirements and practical compliance risks.
Eco-modulation: how packaging design affects EPR fees
Eco-modulation links EPR fees to the environmental performance of packaging. Packaging that is easier to recycle, contains more recycled content, or fits national sorting and recycling infrastructure may benefit from lower fees. Packaging that is difficult to recycle may face higher fees or restrictions.
This makes packaging design a direct cost driver. Compliance teams should work with procurement, design, suppliers and sustainability teams to assess material choices, component separation, colour, labels, adhesives and formats before products are launched.
Packaging data management for PPWR and EPR
Packaging compliance depends on reliable data. EPR reporting, fee calculations, recyclability assessments and PPWR conformity work all require accurate information about packaging materials, weights, formats, components, countries of sale and product categories.
Many companies struggle because packaging data is spread across suppliers, procurement files, ERP systems, product teams and sustainability databases. A scalable compliance system needs clear data ownership, version control, supplier documentation and repeatable reporting workflows.
Build one packaging data model that supports country EPR reporting, PPWR readiness, recyclability assessment and Declaration of Conformity preparation.
Building PPWR-ready packaging data and €1M+ EPR cost avoidance.
See how RegSurance helped a multinational manufacturer improve packaging data quality, reduce EPR cost exposure and build a scalable framework for PPWR and multi-country reporting readiness.
Read the case study →Need a controlled packaging data model?
RegSurance helps teams organise packaging materials, weights, components, supplier evidence and reporting data into one structured system.
Declaration of Conformity under PPWR
The EU Declaration of Conformity is a formal statement that packaging meets the applicable PPWR requirements. It is supported by technical documentation and may cover material composition, design choices, recycled content evidence, recyclability assessment, labelling and other conformity information.
Under PPWR, manufacturers draw up the EU Declaration of Conformity in accordance with Article 39. The declaration supports conformity with relevant packaging requirements, including the requirements covered under Articles 5 to 12.
For companies managing large packaging portfolios, preparing declarations can become complex because evidence must be collected from suppliers, internal teams and technical files across multiple packaging formats.
Get the PPWR DoC Template by email
A ready-to-use Word document structured for enterprise compliance teams managing packaging conformity under Regulation (EU) 2025/40.
How RegSurance supports EPR and PPWR compliance.
We help companies turn complex packaging obligations into practical workflows — from EPR registration and reporting to PPWR readiness, packaging data management and Declaration of Conformity preparation.