Polish Milk Chamber says retailers cannot shift EU packaging duties to dairy suppliers

The European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will apply from 12 August 2026, defining the "producer" as the entity that commissions a product or its packaging. In Poland, the Polish Milk Chamber (ZPPM) argues that this makes retail chains the producers of private‑label dairy products, not the dairy plants that actually manufacture them.

ZPPM President Marcin Hydzik said, “We do not evade the obligations imposed by PPWR on plants; we merely oppose being assigned a role that by law belongs to someone else.” The chamber also warned that contracts forcing dairy suppliers to assume producer responsibilities breach the regulation and could increase costs and duplicate compliance processes. ZPPM has asked the Ministry of Climate and Environment for an interpretative ruling to confirm that the producer role remains with the brand‑owning retailer, and it offered to cooperate with authorities to ensure consistent application of the law.