Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) January 19, 2026 – The European Commission published a draft delegated act establishing uniform labelling requirements for all packaging entering the EU single market under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The proposal mandates 12 standardised pictograms identifying materials such as paper, plastic, glass, metal, wood and textiles, alongside recycling instructions and digital QR code options for product passports. Implementation phases begin in 2027 reaching full compliance by 2030, with exemptions for micro-enterprises producing less than 10 tonnes of packaging waste annually.
The 48-page technical regulation specifies minimum 40mm x 40mm pictogram dimensions, high-contrast colours and permanent adhesion standards across primary, secondary and transport packaging categories. Businesses must display material codes (PP01-PP12), recyclability percentages and disposal pathways, eliminating 27 national labelling schemes that currently confuse sorting facilities and contaminate recyclate streams. The Commission conducted stakeholder consultations with 450 organisations including industry associations, recyclers and consumer groups before finalising the draft.
PPWR labelling proposal technical specifications details
The delegated act requires front-facing pictograms on all consumer packaging with alphanumeric codes distinguishing paper/cardboard (PP01), plastics sub-types (PP02a-g for PET, HDPE, PP etc.), glass (PP03), metals (PP04 steel, PP05 aluminium), wood (PP06), textiles (PP07) and composites (PP12). Symbols adhere to EN ISO 15270 graphic standards ensuring 95 percent consumer recognition and 92 percent sorting facility accuracy validated through field tests across 12 member states.
Digital labelling permits QR codes linking to EU Digital Product Passports containing full material composition, recyclability scores and supply chain data accessible via 90 percent of EU smartphones. Supplementary information includes recyclate content percentages with 30 percent minimum thresholds mandated by 2030 for plastics alongside verified claims prohibiting terms like “recyclable” without meeting Commission criteria. Composite packaging receives interlocking ring symbols directing multi-stream sorting facility routing.
Staggered implementation timeline compliance deadlines
Primary consumer packaging faces 2028 compliance with exemptions for enterprises below €2 million turnover or 10 tonnes annual packaging waste, covering 1.2 million micro-businesses. Secondary packaging such as e-commerce shipping boxes targets 2029 while industrial transport packaging reaches full compliance by 2030, aligning with sorting infrastructure upgrades and regional capacity development.
Member states designate national enforcement authorities conducting annual market surveillance with data uploaded to a Commission central database integrated with Digital Product Passport platforms. A four-year review clause permits 2030 adjustments based on circular economy performance indicators including recyclate quality and contamination reduction metrics.
FEFCO highlighted corrugated cardboard readiness. FEFCO said in X post,
“The #PPWR aims to harmonise rules on recyclability and design for recycling. Our Recycling Factsheet explains how corrugated cardboard meets these requirements, supported by collection, sorting and recycling at scale across Europe.Read more on how the corrugated sector is ready for the PPWR.#CircularByNature”
Material-specific pictogram symbols sorting standards
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