PPWR’s August deadline under pressure as leaked industry letter draws NGO backlash

138 F&B companies have signed a leaked letter addressed to the European Commission (EC) urging the delay of the August 12 implementation date for the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to ensure “legal certainty, proportionality, and the proper functioning of the Single Market.” Environmental and health NGOs and companies have sent a response condemning the privately leaked letter. 

The list of signatories behind the leaked letter includes Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Burger King, Kraft Heinz, Heineken, and Mondelēz. Companies in the F&B packaging are also represented, with signatories such as Ardagh Metal Packaging Europe, Ardagh Glass Packaging Europe, BA Glass, Ball, as well as Malta’s Beverage Container Refund Scheme and the Danish Dansk Retursystem. 

The letter reads: “As leaders from companies across multiple sectors of the European economy… we continue to support the EU’s ambition to advance packaging circularity and have engaged constructively to help make the PPWR workable and effective in practice.”

“[The] lack of legal certainty, clarity, delayed guidance, and unresolved technical challenges creates significant risks for compliance, investment, and ultimately undermines European competitiveness and consequently also impacts consumers.”

The annex to the letter lays out concerns regarding the PPWR, such as the lack of harmonized PFAS testing methodology for food-contact packaging, the lack of clarity on the definition of single-use plastic packaging, and the absence of “scalable” alternatives for food-safe liquid single-portion packaging.

It says that the recyclability requirements for some health, aseptic, and multilayer packaging applications are “currently not achievable at industrial scale,” adding that there is ambiguity around recycled content calculations.

Packaging “minimization” would also “erode Europe’s leadership in packaging and product design, creativity and premium manufacturing,” the letter argues.

Regarding reuse and refill targets, it says the transition will take billions of euros in environmental and significant infrastructure changes.

The signatories further say that the Guidance Notice and FAQ published by the EC on March 30, fail to address concerns regarding key definitions, methodologies, or provide guidance and legal clarifications.

Delays may weaken PPWR

In response, more than 163 environmental and health groups and companies have also sent a letter urging the EC to maintain the set date for the application of the PPWR. They warn that a PPWR delay may weaken the restriction of PFAS in food packaging and further exemptions that keep “large volumes” of single-use packaging on the EU market.

Marco Musso, deputy policy manager for Circular Economy at the European Environmental Bureau, one of the responding environmental organizations, comments: ”It is disappointing to witness yet another attempt to delay and dilute a legislation designed to protect citizens and to stop the uncontrolled growth of packaging waste.”

“Fortunately, the usual suspects behind the CEO letter do not speak for the majority of the packaging value chain. Across Europe, a multitude of businesses, including major players, remain genuinely supportive of the regulation and are already investing to prepare for it. We stand with the EU institutions to preserve the integrity of the regulation and ensure effective implementation.”

Emma Priestland, corporate campaigns coordinator for the Break Free From Plastic movement, another signatory of the response, adds: “The letter sent by some of the world’s biggest users and polluters of plastic is a shocking example of corporations trying to override the democratic will of 27 countries.”

“Their last-minute attempt to derail this vital piece of legislation shows an appalling disregard for the wishes, safety, and well-being of their own customers. Companies should be focusing on ending their reliance on single-use packaging rather than influencing the law of an entire region.”

Meanwhile, the leaked letter states: “Across Europe, thousands of companies are making investments in anticipation of the PPWR and are expecting regulatory stability. Any backtracking at this stage would punish frontrunners and discourage investment and innovation. This must be avoided; the competitiveness of European industry requires predictability, not uncertainty.”