April 13, 2026 14:27

Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) has urged the EU not to reopen or delay the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), but instead to issue practical, harmonised guidance for its implementation.

The association, which represents European flexible packaging manufacturers across all material types, was responding to calls from parts of industry to postpone the Regulation’s application and review key provisions.

“Industry needs urgent support for implementation, not reopening,” FPE said in the statement released today. “It is true that several implementation challenges remain and are limiting the ability of the supply chain to comply with upcoming requirements. However, these should be addressed through clear, practical and timely secondary legislation ensuring homogeneous implementation, not through reopening the primary legislative framework.”

While welcoming the recent publication of guidelines and FAQs on the regulation (read article), Flexible Packaging Europe said this was only a first step and still not sufficient.

It is therefore urging the European Commission to support the packaging value chain through two measures: clear, practical rules enabling compliance with upcoming requirements due to apply from August 2026, including realistic compliance pathways agreed with national authorities to ensure homogeneous implementation of provisions such as PFAS targets; and the timely adoption of fair, workable secondary legislation in key areas such as recyclability, recycled content for plastic packaging, minimisation and market restrictions, to ensure those measures can be implemented in 2030.

“The flexible packaging sector is ready to deliver on the PPWR’s objectives,” said Karri Koskela (pictured), Chair of Flexible Packaging Europe. “Over the past years, converters across Europe have made significant investments to redesign packaging in line with recyclability, minimisation and recycled content requirements. It is estimated that the sector has invested more than €1 billion in the past years in research and development to meet PPWR objectives only.”
“Reopening or delaying the PPWR at this stage,” he added, “would undermine these investments, as well as those made by brand owners and filling equipment suppliers, create regulatory uncertainty, and risk slowing down Europe’s transition to a circular economy.”

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