PPWR for the Food & Drink Industry: What UK Businesses Need to Know
Understand how new EU packaging rules affect your products, supply chain, and ability to sell into the EU. From August 2026, non-compliant packaging may restrict market access.
What PPWR means for food & drink businesses
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is set to reshape how food and drink products are packaged, labelled, and sold across the EU.
For UK businesses, this isn’t just a compliance update. Instead, PPWR directly affects packaging design, materials, data requirements, and whether products can continue to be sold into the EU.
In particular, food and beverage packaging faces additional pressure due to strict safety requirements, complex materials, and high production volumes. As a result, many businesses must manage multiple overlapping challenges at once, such as:
Key PPWR challenges for food & beverage brands
PPWR introduces several specific challenges for food and drink businesses, particularly where packaging design, materials, and labelling requirements overlap. In many cases, these challenges must be addressed at the same time. As a result, complexity increases across both compliance and operations.
The main challenge areas
- Transition to recyclable materials
- Removal of unnecessary packaging layers
Food-contact packaging must comply with strict chemical safety requirements, including restrictions on substances such as PFAS, which require supporting data and documentation.
- Increased scrutiny on food-contact materials
- Limited visibility across supply chains
- Higher compliance risk where data is missing
Packaging must meet requirements to reduce unnecessary material use, including limits on empty space and expectations around packaging design.
Upcoming reuse and refill requirements, particularly for food service and hospitality sectors, will require significant operational and supply chain changes.
- Applies to takeaway and retail formats
- Growing requirement for reusable systems
- Operational changes needed for food service
- Harmonised EU labelling requirements
- Component-level sorting instructions
- Particularly impacts beverage containers
- 90% collection targets by weight
Businesses will need to generate and maintain a Declaration of Conformity to demonstrate that packaging meets PPWR requirements, including material restrictions, recyclability and design criteria.
What PPWR means for your business
PPWR introduces direct commercial and operational risk for food and drink businesses.
- Non-compliant products may not be sold in the EU
- Supply chains must adapt to new requirements and timelines
- Packaging decisions directly affect cost and compliance
- Brand perception is increasingly linked to sustainability performance
As a result, PPWR is not just regulation, it’s a market access issue.
Why act now
PPWR will apply from August 2026. However, preparing for compliance takes time, especially for food and drink businesses with complex packaging portfolios and supplier networks.
For example:
- Packaging data must be collected across multiple suppliers
- Materials and formats may need to change
- Artwork and labelling updates require planning and approval
Therefore, starting early reduces risk and helps avoid disruption to EU sales. In particular, focusing on high-risk packaging types and materials ensures the most critical issues are addressed first.
Where to focus first
Certain packaging types and materials are more likely to create compliance risk under PPWR. In particular, you should prioritise:
By focusing on these areas first, businesses can reduce risk and improve readiness.
How to prepare for PPWR
Preparing for PPWR requires a structured approach across your packaging, data, and supply chain. To begin with, you need to understand how PPWR applies to your products. From there, you can assess risk and take action more effectively.
Audit your packaging portfolio
Identify high-risk formats such as composites and plastics
Engage suppliers early
Start collecting packaging data across your supply chain
Assess recyclability
Compare current packaging against PPWR requirements
Build compliance documentation
Including Declarations of Conformity and supporting data
Not sure where to start?
We’ll help you understand how PPWR applies to your products, identify your risk, and define your next steps.
Understand your PPWR risk and next stepsFAQs
If you sell packaged products into the EU or Northern Ireland, PPWR applies to you.
Packaging that does not meet PPWR requirements may not be placed on the EU market.
Businesses must collect detailed data at component level, including materials, recyclability, and compliance with key requirements.
A Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is a document that demonstrates that packaging complies with PPWR requirements, including material restrictions (e.g. PFAS), recyclability and design criteria. It will need to be maintained and available as evidence of compliance.
Yes — a valid Declaration of Conformity will be required to demonstrate compliance and maintain market access.
We help you understand your obligations, assess risk, and build the data and documentation required for compliance.
Make an enquiry
Protect your EU market access under PPWR. Take control of your compliance and avoid costly disruption. Contact us today to book a free consultation.