EUROPEN unveils PPWR toolkit to simplify EU packaging compliance
Key takeaways
- EUROPEN has released the PPWR Conformity Assessment Toolkit to aid brands and manufacturers.
- The toolkit helps companies identify obligations, collect compliance data, and prepare documentation.
- The launch follows industry criticism and calls to delay PPWR implementation over regulatory uncertainty.
The European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) has launched the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) Conformity Assessment Toolkit to help brands and manufacturers navigate the upcoming regulation.
The toolkit aims to simplify complex legal text for users. It identifies which PPWR obligations apply to certain packaging types, understands what data needs to be collected, structures the required documentation for conformity assessment purposes, and anticipates future obligations with a timeline.
“Under the PPWR, companies will need to demonstrate that packaging placed on the EU market complies with a range of sustainability requirements, including obligations related to substances in packaging, recyclability, and packaging labeling,” explains EUROPEN.
Notably, companies will need to prepare compliance documents to validate their packaging meets regulatory requirements.
Clarity or confusion?
The toolkit also provides a short overview of obligations depending on economic sectors, as well as a clarification of responsibilities across the packaging value chain. It also includes a bank of best practices and useful resources.
The toolkit comes after the European Commission (EC) announced a guidance document to support the implementation of the PPWR by simplifying compliance rules for economic actors and member states.
This guidance was met with industry skepticism, which argued that the rules are still unclear while PFAS compliance remains insufficiently regulated.
Recently, 138 F&B companies signed a letter to the EC urging the delay of the 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.
