November 26, 2025 12:03
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment has released a draft of a new Packaging Act (Verpackungsrecht-Durchführungsgesetz, or VerpackDG) designed to replace the current law and align national legislation with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
Now under public consultation, the proposed law expands the scope of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and introduces stricter requirements regarding waste reduction, recyclability, reuse and recycled content in plastic packaging, reflecting the targets set by the PPWR.
The move has been welcomed by PlasticsEurope Deutschland, the association representing plastic producers in Germany, which sees the inclusion of chemical recycling as a complementary solution to mechanical recycling in achieving environmental goals.
As Christine Bunte, managing director of PlasticsEurope Deutschland, explains, the draft legislation requires that at least 75% of plastic packaging be recycled by 2030, with up to 5% of this quota eligible to be met via chemical recycling or solvent-based recycling (solvolysis).
“This ensures that the vast majority of packaging will continue to be mechanically recycled,” Bunte says. “It’s a well-established approach in Germany and remains the first option for all plastic waste. However, materials that cannot be recycled mechanically should remain in circulation through chemical or solvent-based processes.”
Still, she stresses that two critical gaps remain at the EU level: legal clarity on mass balance accounting and on the end-of-waste status for chemically recycled materials. These would provide much-needed certainty for companies, enabling long-term planning and encouraging investments in circular solutions.
On the downside, the draft law is expected to generate additional costs for industry, estimated at €90 million — a figure that contrasts with the pressing need to cut red tape and reduce administrative burdens on companies.
PlasticsEurope Deutschland also expressed disappointment over the lack of financial incentives to promote the adoption of sustainable packaging solutions and the use of recycled content, both of which are currently supported by the existing legislative framework.
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