SPI Intelligence for Converters

What is changing for converters

Design for recycling and format restrictions

Design for recycling means designing packaging so it can be collected, sorted and recycled in practice. The PPWR turns it into a market condition.

• Recyclability by 2030. Packaging placed on the EU market must be recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030, assessed against design-for-recycling criteria and graded A, B or C. Packaging below grade C is treated as non-recyclable, it must also be recycled at scale from 2035, and grade B becomes the minimum from 2038 (PR-EU-010). The delegated acts that set the criteria for each format were not adopted at 13 October 2026.
• Annex V formats. From 1 January 2030, Article 25 and Annex V bar specified single-use formats, mostly plastic: grouped packaging films, packaging for pre-packed fresh fruit and vegetables under 1.5 kg, food and drink filled and consumed on hospitality premises, single-portion condiments and sauces in hospitality, single-use hotel toiletries and very lightweight plastic carrier bags (PR-EU-008). Member States may set some exemptions, and Commission guidelines on Annex V are listed as due by 12 February 2027.
• Tethered caps. Tethered caps are caps and lids that stay attached to the container during use. Since 3 July 2024 they are required on EU single-use beverage containers up to three litres, including composite beverage packaging; glass and metal containers with plastic caps are outside the rule, and metal caps with plastic seals do not count as plastic (PR-EU-015).
• PFAS. Since 12 August 2026, EU food-contact packaging may not contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at or above the PPWR limit values (PR-EU-002). Paper, board and moulded-fibre grades that used fluorinated barriers are most affected, and the Commission is due to review the restriction by 12 February 2030. Oregon has banned foodware containers with intentionally added PFAS since 1 January 2025 (PR-US-013).
• British Columbia. Food service ware made of polystyrene foam, PVC, PVDC, biodegradable or oxo-degradable plastic has been barred since 15 July 2024, and compostable plastic take-out containers are also banned; paper and plant-fibre take-out containers remain allowed. PVC film wrap is exempt until 1 July 2028 and foam meat trays until 1 July 2030 (PR-CA-005).

Empty space and reuse

From 2030, operators that fill grouped, transport or e-commerce packaging in the EU must keep the empty space ratio at or below 50%; reusable packaging is excluded, and the measuring method is an implementing act due by 12 February 2028 (PR-EU-009). The PPWR also sets 2030 reuse targets of 40% for transport packaging, including sales packaging used for transport, and 10% for grouped packaging (PR-EU-006). Corrugated and transit packaging converters will see box ranges change and some single-use volume move to reusable pools.

Labelling

• EU harmonised label. The PPWR material-composition sorting label applies from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Commission implementing acts on label specifications enter into force, whichever is later (Article 12(1), per Commission Notice C/2026/3084). The labelling act was still being prepared in October 2026 (PR-EU-003). Transport packaging other than e-commerce packaging does not need the symbols.
• France. The Triman logo with Info-tri sorting instructions has been required on household packaging since a phased roll-out from summer 2022; mandatory dates vary by sector (PR-FR-003).
• California. SB 343 limits the chasing-arrows symbol and “recyclable” claims to materials meeting statutory criteria, such as collection by programmes serving at least 60% of the population, for products and packaging made after 4 October 2026. On 14 July 2026 a federal court issued a preliminary injunction in California League of Food Producers v. Bonta blocking enforcement (PR-US-011).
• UK deposit return. Drinks containers in the England, Northern Ireland and Scotland schemes from 1 October 2027 must carry the scheme logo and return code (PR-GB-004, PR-GB-005).

Recycled content and plastic taxes

• EU. The PPWR sets minimum post-consumer recycled content in plastic packaging from 1 January 2030, including 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles; other categories have their own percentages (PR-EU-004). The calculation and verification method is an implementing act listed as due by 31 December 2026.
• India. G.S.R. 237(E) of 31 March 2026 restates the category-wise recycled plastic content first set in Schedule II in 2022 (PR-IN-002). Category III (multilayer) is counted on its plastic layers only, and recycled packaging must meet IS 14534:2023.
• UK. The Plastic Packaging Tax applies to components with less than 30% recycled plastic, at £228.82 per tonne from 1 April 2026 (PR-GB-001). Converters that make or import finished components are the taxpayers; from 1 April 2027 pre-consumer plastic no longer counts towards the 30%.

EPR fees by format

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) makes producers pay for the collection and recycling of their packaging, through fees collected by a producer responsibility organisation (PRO). Eco-modulation varies those fees by recyclability or design, through fee bands, bonuses or maluses. Your customers pay the fees, but your structures set the fee line.

Board and carton lines split in the same way. Oregon charges USD 1,058.22 per tonne for polycoated paperboard against USD 176.37 for paperboard, six times as much; Colorado’s CAA charges USD 440.92 against 176.37. Ecoembes charges EUR 533.0 per tonne for beverage and food cartons against EUR 115.0 for paper and board, and Fost Plus EUR 0.808 per kg for beverage cartons against 0.1503 for paper-cardboard. Repak in Ireland charges recycled rigid and flexible plastic the same EUR 165.7 per tonne. In the UK, PackUK’s illustrative 2026-27 plastic fees are £415, £455 and £545 per tonne for green, amber and red ratings, and fibre-based composite £475, £525 and £630 (PR-GB-003); confirmed fees are due by the end of November 2026. Our EPR fees per tonne article compares the tables in more detail.

Key dates for converters

What your customers have committed to

The SPI Buyers Database holds 179 public targets from 42 brand owners and retailers, many of them on recyclability. Definitions differ: some report all packaging, some plastic only, some own-brand only.

• Unilever targets 100% of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030 for rigids and 2035 for flexibles, and reports 57% overall in 2025. It is the only company in the database that splits rigid and flexible figures.
• Mars, a large user of flexible packaging, reports 67.6% of consumer-facing packaging designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable and 9.2% recycled content in its plastic portfolio in 2025.
• Mondelēz International reports an 8.4% cut in rigid virgin plastic against a 25% target for 2030, and 3.7% recycled plastic content against 5%.
• Walmart, Carrefour, Colgate-Palmolive and Tesco missed 100% recyclability targets for 2025. Target and Ahold Delhaize report large gaps; Lidl says it reached the maximum possible level at 67%.

Questions you ask, and where SPI answers them

Which customers have public recyclability or recycled-content targets? Search the SPI Buyers Database. It shows target, year, progress and source, not specifications or volumes.

Which design rules apply to my formats in the EU? Filter the SPI Regulation Tracker by type “design rule” and by material. It does not assess whether a structure passes design-for-recycling criteria.

When does labelling artwork have to change? Filter by type “labelling” and check the upcoming-deadlines table, which records conditional dates such as PR-EU-003.

How much more does a laminate cost in EPR fees than a mono-material film? Enter tonnages by line in the SPI EPR & Plastic Tax Calculator. It applies published per-tonne or per-kilogram rates, without eco-modulation bonuses or per-unit charges.

Which formats does the PPWR restrict from 2030? Read PPWR 2030 format restrictions, which covers the adopted text, not national exemptions.

How SPI builds this

Each of the 79 rules in 25 jurisdictions carries its official source, dates, status and last-checked date, and its own page with an SPI note on scope, actions and open points. On 13 October 2026 the SPI team re-read 56 tracker records against their official sources and updated 46. Customer targets are taken from each company’s own report. Fee ratios on this page are SPI calculations from the 216 published rate rows in the calculator. See the SPI Methodology.

Limitations and what SPI does not do

The tracker’s 79 rules are not every packaging rule in those markets. The Buyers Database covers 42 large brand owners and retailers, using reports SPI does not audit, and holds no contacts, purchase volumes, supplier relationships or specifications. The calculator covers 14 markets; UK fees are illustrative, and Germany and Ontario are not included because no public fee table exists. SPI does not give legal advice, test or certify packaging, carry out recyclability lab tests or LCA certification, or make regulatory filings. Where you need these, we can point you to a qualified provider. See our corrections log.

When you need more than the data

The SPI Trackers stay free. Three SPI Consulting services fit converters:

• Packaging Market & Competitive Intelligence: competitor profiles from public information, benchmark tables, demand-driver analysis and a geography ranking.
• Sustainable Packaging Strategy: an options matrix with recyclability evidence and regulatory fit, a peer benchmark of public commitments and a redesign roadmap. Recyclability review is desk-based, not a lab test.
• Packaging Strategy & Growth: a scored opportunity map, growth options with benefits and risks, and a 12 to 24 month go-to-market plan.

Formats are Briefing, Sprint, Programme and Retainer; pricing is on request. To discuss a project, send an enquiry. Related: SPI Intelligence for Packaging Manufacturers and SPI Intelligence for Brand Owners and Packaging Buyers.