Germany prepares for EU-wide packaging law overhaul

The European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will become enforceable from 12 August 2026, introducing uniform standards aimed at cutting packaging waste, boosting recyclability and mandating extensive documentation of material composition. Germany is adapting its national legislation through the Verpackungsrecht‑Durchführungsgesetz (VerpackDG), which will implement the PPWR and set even stricter targets—a 75 % recycling rate for plastic packaging by 2028 and 80 % by 2030, well above the EU minimum of 55 %.

Industry groups warn that the new rules will create a heavy bureaucratic burden. A mid‑size trader quoted in the trade journal “Fuchsbriefe” said the regulation would require tracking every box, label and stretch‑film, making it “too expensive and too complicated” and potentially forcing firms to discard reusable cartons. German associations such as the German Brewing Federation and the GDF (German Water Association) also criticize the lack of detailed guidance, fearing increased costs, uncertainty and possible supply‑chain disruptions.

The German government has created a central authority, the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, to manage registrations and aim to keep administrative effort as low as possible, but stakeholders remain concerned about unclear definitions, overlapping national provisions and the risk that some suppliers may be unable to meet the new standards.