April 16, 2026 15:05

The first part of the European design-for-recycling standard, EN 18120-1:2026, dedicated to the recycling-oriented design of plastic packaging and setting out definitions and principles, was published yesterday by CEN.

The guidelines provide a common technical reference that is expected to shape the implementation of the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Secondary legislation, expected between 2027 and 2028, will have to define the harmonised EU criteria for recyclable packaging and the related assessment method, while the requirements will start to apply from 2030, or two years after the adoption of the delegated acts.

The publication was welcomed by the Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging (CEFLEX) platform: “For the first time,” a statement reads, “we have a common European standard for designing plastic packaging. This was developed through a detailed technical process, built upon the CEN consensus principle, involving the entire value chain.”

Ceflex actively participated in the development of the EN 18120 series, leading the projects for the standards dedicated to polyethylene and polypropylene flexible packaging (EN 18120-7 and EN 18120-13). The European platform representing the flexible packaging value chain made available data and information from the Designing for a Circular Economy (D4ACE) testing programme, developed with independent laboratories and academic partners in Europe.

Ceflex underlines the complementarity between the CEN standards and its own technical guidance. “The European standards provide the formal framework, terminology and minimum requirements for design for recycling; the D4ACE programme, by contrast, is intended as an operational tool to help the value chain understand not only whether a package meets the requirements, but also how it actually performs in sorting and recycling systems, along with the trade-offs involved in different design choices.”

In other words, the EN 18120 standard defines the technical framework and minimum requirements, while D4ACE provides practical, clear and informative guidance, explaining not only which design elements are compatible with recycling, but also the technical reasons behind those choices.

The D4ACE programme, Ceflex explains, is based on an open-access data set built through the assessment of more than 600 representative flexible packaging samples, with more than 1,700 data points relating to sortability and mechanical recyclability. This body of data has already contributed to standardisation work and can now reduce uncertainty for converters, brand owners, designers and recyclers preparing for PPWR implementation.

See also: EN 18120-1:2026 standard

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