EU packaging regulation changes supermarket and supplier obligations

EU introduces a common packaging framework

The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, known as the PPWR, entered into force across the bloc on 12 August. The rules are intended to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, increase recycling and make Europe less dependent on imported fossil fuels, which provide raw materials for much plastic packaging.

According to the European Commission, the regulation should strengthen the single market for packaging and make cross-border business easier by replacing fragmented national requirements with harmonised EU rules. It also supports the bloc’s move toward a competitive circular economy and its objective of climate neutrality by 2050.

For supermarkets, packaging manufacturers and consumer-goods suppliers, the change creates a common compliance framework but also brings adjustment costs. European Commissioner for Environment Jessika Roswall said the regulation would reduce waste, increase recycling, improve the safety of food-contact packaging and limit dependence on virgin raw materials. She also acknowledged that businesses would incur costs when adapting their operations.

PFAS limits affect food-contact packaging

One of the measures reported by Adnkronos and Food Affairs restricts per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in packaging intended to come into contact with food. Food packaging containing PFAS above the established limits cannot be placed on the EU market.

PFAS are used for their resistance to water and grease and may be found in takeaway-food containers, fast-food wrappers, microwave-popcorn bags, baking paper and pizza boxes. The restriction is designed to reduce consumer exposure to these highly persistent chemicals and limit their release into the environment.

The requirement will matter throughout supermarket supply chains. Packaging producers must review materials and formulations, while food processors and brand owners will need to verify that packaging supplied for EU products meets the thresholds. Retailers, in turn, will depend on documentation and product information that can demonstrate compliance.

Labelling and producer responsibility are harmonised

The PPWR establishes EU-wide definitions, including definitions of manufacturers and producers covered by extended producer responsibility for packaging. It also makes specified markings and information mandatory. Among other functions, the information must make it possible to identify and contact manufacturers or importers when necessary.

The new framework should reduce the complexity faced by businesses operating in several EU markets, although companies will need to revise packaging specifications, supplier controls, labels and internal compliance processes. For importers, the identification requirements also increase the importance of traceable records linking packaged goods to the responsible economic operator.

Existing supermarket stock can remain on sale

The regulation does not require supermarkets to replace every package already on their shelves immediately. The European Commission clarified that food packaging placed on the market before 12 August 2026 may continue to be sold, including packaging affected by the new PFAS limits.

Products already placed on the market before that date therefore do not have to be withdrawn from shelves solely because the regulation entered into force. Consumers will see packaging changes gradually as existing stocks move through distribution and suppliers introduce compliant formats. For supermarkets and their suppliers, the transition period makes inventory timing, documentation and the distinction between old and newly placed packaging operationally important.