Articles · 2026-09-16
Why was the PPWR introduced? Goals, supporters and critics
The PPWR was proposed in 2022 because EU packaging waste grew faster than the economy. Who pushed it, who opposed it and why, with the votes and sources.
The PPWR was not written in a vacuum. It answers a measured problem, it was pushed by some and fought by others, and parts of it are still contested. Below are the short answers, each with its source.
Why was the PPWR introduced?
Because packaging waste kept growing despite thirty years of EU rules. According to the Council of the EU:
- In 2021 each European generated over 188 kg of packaging waste — about half a kilo a day.
- The EU produced 84 million tonnes, 24 % more than in 2010.
- Without action, packaging waste could grow another 19 % by 2030.
- Packaging has grown faster than the economy and the population, driven by online shopping, home delivery and on-the-go consumption.
- Many member states struggle to reach the recycling targets, partly because packaging cannot be collected, sorted or recycled.
What do the latest figures show?
Eurostat, for 2023:
- 177.8 kg per person, 79.7 million tonnes — 8.7 kg less than in 2022, but 21.2 kg more than in 2013.
- By material: paper and cardboard 40.4 %, plastic 19.8 %, glass 18.8 %, wood 15.8 %, metal 4.9 %.
- Plastic: 35.3 kg per person, of which 14.8 kg recycled (42.1 %).
- The spread between countries: from 80.9 kg (Bulgaria, 2022 data) to 223.1 kg (Ireland).
Why a regulation and not a directive?
A directive is transposed differently in each country; a regulation applies the same text everywhere. The EU's own summary names the aims: prevent unnecessary packaging, promote reuse and recycling, and harmonise national rules to remove trade barriers — packaging that complies can be sold across the whole EU.
What benefits does the EU claim?
From the European Commission:
- All packaging recyclable by 2030.
- Plastic packaging with recycled content, rising in 2030 and 2040.
- Harmonised labels that show the material and where to bin it.
- No empty space and no unnecessary layers in deliveries.
- Member states cutting packaging waste per person by 5 % by 2030, 10 % by 2035 and 15 % by 2040 against 2018.
Because the rules cover everyone who sells into the EU, suppliers outside Europe adapt too.
Who proposed it, and how was it passed?
- 30 November 2022 — proposed by the European Commission, as part of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan.
- 22 November 2023 — European Parliament position: 426 for, 125 against, 74 abstentions.
- 18 December 2023 — Council position, adding an exemption from deposit-return systems for countries above 78 % separate collection.
- 4 March 2024 — provisional agreement; Parliament approved it on 24 April 2024.
- 16 December 2024 — final Council adoption. Austria and Malta abstained; the other 25 voted in favour.
Who opposed it, and why?
- Austria abstained, saying the balance between environmental protection, administrative burden and competitiveness was missing, citing costs without a visible benefit in reuse, enforcement problems with producers outside the EU, and that the content belonged in a directive (as reported by EUWID).
- The paper packaging industry (EPPA) argued that mandatory reuse targets and bans on single-use fibre packaging would damage working recycling systems. A study it commissioned from Ramboll found single-use paper in quick-service restaurants produced 2.8 times less CO₂ and used 3.4 times less fresh water than reusables; it also said food safety had not been assessed.
- McDonald's commissioned a Kearney study concluding that reuse targets for eat-in would raise emissions and cost businesses €1–20 billion.
- Cross-sector business associations — Confindustria, Medef, BDI and BusinessEurope — opposed the revision (according to InfluenceMap).
What did the supporters answer?
- The consultancy Eunomia criticised those life-cycle studies for static assumptions without empirical support; the studies assumed return rates of 70 % (McDonald's) and 50 % (EPPA) (as reported by Packaging Gateway).
- The Rethink Plastic Alliance said McDonald's had acknowledged using incorrect return-rate estimates.
- The European Environmental Bureau called it one of the most lobbied files Parliament had seen, and environmental groups said the final text had been watered down.
Is the debate over?
Not entirely. On 10 December 2025 the Commission proposed, in COM(2025) 982, to suspend the authorised-representative duty of Art. 45(3) until 2035 for producers established in the EU. On 24 June 2026 the Council decided not to proceed with that suspension. Article 45(3) applies as written. The current state of each country is in our country table.
What this means for a business
Whatever side one takes, the text is in force. What changes day to day is covered in what is PPWR, what is EPR for packaging and how much does EPR cost.
What Tarafex does
It does not take a side in the debate. It keeps the data the law asks for — one row per component, material, weight frozen on the shipping day, reusable apart from single-use — so that whatever the rules end up being, the numbers already exist.
Sources: Council of the EU, packaging policy page; Eurostat, packaging waste 2023 (22 October 2025); EUR-Lex summary of Regulation (EU) 2025/40; European Commission, PPWR page; European Parliament Legislative Train; EUWID (16 December 2024); EPPA; Packaging Gateway (26 October 2023); InfluenceMap; COM(2025) 982; Consilium, 24.06.2026. Checked 16 September 2026. This is information, not legal advice.