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Packaging rule · European Union · Recycled content

PPWR: 2030 minimum recycled content in plastic packaging

Recycled content rule covering plastic in the European Union, set by European Parliament and Council of the EU. Adopted; applies from 1 January 2030.

By the SPI teamRule ID PR-EU-004Source consulted 13 October 2026Verified 13 October 2026
Sourced facts

The rule

Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.

Jurisdiction
European Union
Authority
European Parliament and Council of the EU
Rule type
Recycled content
Materials
Plastic
Status
Adopted, not yet applying Enacted
Rate or target
30%30% figure is for single-use plastic beverage bottles. Start is 1 Jan 2030 or 3 years after the implementing act on calculation, whichever is later.
Adopted or published
19 December 2024
Applies from
1 January 2030
From the source

“single-use plastic beverage bottles by 2030 and up to 65% by 2040”

Official source European Parliament Legislative Observatory: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 summaryOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026

Deadlines

Key dates

  1. Adopted or published 1 year and 9 months ago

  2. Source consulted by the SPI team 2 days ago

  3. Re-checked by a second SPI team member 2 days ago

  4. Today

  5. Applies from in 3 years and 2 months

SPI analysis

What it means

SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.

SPI summary

Plastic packaging must contain minimum shares of post-consumer recycled plastic from 2030, including 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles. Other categories have their own percentages.

In practice

From 2030, plastic packaging placed on the EU market has to contain minimum shares of post-consumer recycled plastic, with 30% confirmed for single-use plastic beverage bottles and separate percentages for other categories. This affects resin buyers, converters and brand owners: food-grade recycled resin supply, cost and traceability become planning issues well before 2030. How recycled content is calculated and verified depends on a Commission implementing act due by 31 December 2026.

Where the record is unclear

  • Percentages for categories other than single-use plastic beverage bottles are not given on the official summary pages. They sit in Article 7, which SPI has not yet checked for this note.
  • The start rule in the record (1 January 2030 or three years after the calculation implementing act, whichever is later) is not shown on the Legislative Observatory page. The Commission timeline gives 31 December 2026 as the deadline for that act (Article 7(8)).
  • The Commission timeline also lists a delegated act on evaluating derogations by 1 January 2028 and a review of the 2030 targets by 12 February 2032, either of which could change scope.

Where it sits in the tracker

  • One of 18 packaging rules we track in the European Union, of which 3 are recycled content rules.
  • In all, 6 recycled content rules are tracked across 3 jurisdictions. Compare them below

Company profiles that map to this rule

Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.

SPI analysis

Overview

Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 obliges plastic packaging placed on the EU market to contain a minimum share of plastic recovered from post-consumer waste. The 2030 tier includes 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles2. Article 7(1) sets the percentages for the other plastic categories; SPI has not yet confirmed them against the official text. Recital 36 describes the targets as mandatory by 2030, with higher levels from 20404.

The recitals explain how the duty is measured and why imports are included. Recitals 40 and 41 require the minimum to be met for each plastic part, calculated as an average per manufacturing plant and per year. Recitals 45 to 49 ask that packaging made outside the Union face equivalent conditions, through sustainability criteria for plastic recycling technologies and a method for judging recycled content produced in third countries4.

Much of the working detail is still pending. The Article 7(8) implementing act on how recycled content is calculated and checked, the Article 7(9) delegated act on recycling technologies and the Article 7(10) act on third-country equivalence were all due by 31 December 2026 and listed as in preparation on the Commission timeline5.

Duties

Who must do what

Manufacturer of plastic packaging

  • Reach the Article 7 minimum share of post-consumer recycled plastic in each plastic part of packaging placed on the market under the 2030 tier, which for single-use plastic beverage bottles is 30%24.
  • Where the Article 7(5)(a) food-contact exemption is used, record in the technical documentation the polymer of every plastic part making up 5% or more of the unit, and confirm that no suitable recycling technology authorised under Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 exists1.
  • Apply the Article 7(5) exemptions directly, without any authorisation from the Commission or a national authority, but substantiate them in the technical file1.

Importer of plastic packaging

  • Place on the market only imported plastic packaging that meets the same Article 7 minimum shares; recitals 45 to 49 provide for an equivalence method for recycled plastic produced outside the Union4.

European Commission

  • Adopt the calculation and checking method by 31 December 2026 under Article 7(8), assess the need for derogations by 1 January 2028 under Article 7(12), and report on the 2030 targets by 12 February 2032 under Article 7(14)5.
Scope

Are you in scope?

Work through each question. The answers are the SPI team's reading of the sources cited.

  1. Is the packaging made of plastic and placed on the EU market?

    If yes
    The Article 7 minimum recycled content applies by packaging category under the 2030 tier2.
    If no
    Article 7 targets apply to plastic packaging only; paper, glass and metal formats carry no Article 7 minimum3.

  2. Is it a single-use plastic beverage bottle?

    If yes
    The confirmed 2030 minimum is 30% post-consumer recycled plastic2.
    If no
    Another Article 7(1) category percentage applies; SPI has not yet confirmed those figures against the official text.

  3. Does the plastic part weigh less than 5% of the whole packaging unit?

    If yes
    Article 7(5)(b) exempts that part from the minimum1.
    If no
    The part counts toward the plant-year average.

  4. Would recycled content in food-contact plastic threaten human health and breach Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004?

    If yes
    Article 7(5)(a) exempts it, provided the technical file documents the polymer and the absence of a suitable recycling technology1.
    If no
    The category minimum applies in full.

  5. Is it pharmaceutical, medical device, infant and young child food, dangerous goods or compostable plastic packaging?

    If yes
    The EUR-Lex summary lists these among the exceptions to the plastic recycled content rule3.
    If no
    No category exception applies.
Checklist

Compliance checklist

  1. Classify plastic packaging by Article 7 category

    By Now

    SPI analysis of the official text. Not legal advice; confirm with the text or counsel. Sort every plastic item into its Article 7 category and flag single-use beverage bottles, the one category whose 2030 figure, 30%, is confirmed2.

    Evidence to keep Category list per SKU with resin type and weight of each plastic part.

  2. Apply the 5% part rule

    By Now

    Identify parts below 5% of the total unit weight, which Article 7(5)(b) takes out of the calculation1.

    Evidence to keep Component weight data per packaging unit.

  3. Write up food-contact exemptions

    By Before 2030

    For Article 7(5)(a), name the polymer of each part of 5% or more and set out why no suitable recycling technology under Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 exists for it1.

    Evidence to keep Technical file entries signed off by the manufacturer.

  4. Adopt the calculation method once published

    By 31 December 2026 (due date of the act)

    Align supplier certificates and the plant-year averaging in recitals 40 and 41 with the Article 7(8) implementing act once adopted45.

    Evidence to keep Supplier certificates mapped to the adopted method.

  5. Contract recycled resin per plant

    By Before 2030

    Because the share is averaged per manufacturing plant and per year, secure post-consumer recycled volumes for each plant rather than group-wide4.

    Evidence to keep Supply contracts and yearly plant mass balances.

  6. Watch the derogation assessment

    By 1 January 2028

    The Article 7(12) assessment may lead to derogations for specific plastic packaging, which could change which SKUs need recycled content15.

    Evidence to keep Dated review note per affected category.

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

Who enforces
Market surveillance authorities in each Member State, applying Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 to packaging (recital 112)4
Powers
Authorities can check the manufacturer's technical documentation, including the recycled content calculation and any Article 7(5) exemption, which the manufacturer must substantiate in that file1.
Enforcement so far
None yet: the 2030 tier is still ahead, and no Commission enforcement notice existed for it in October 2026.

Penalties

BreachPenaltyLegal basis
Placing plastic packaging below the Article 7 minimum on the marketDetermined by the Member StateNational legislation implementing PPWR sanctions; EUR-Lex did not display the provision

Compliance with Article 7 will be shown largely on paper: the plant-year average, supplier evidence for the recycled share and the exemption file must fit the Article 7(8) method15. Fine levels are national, so the same shortfall can cost different amounts in different Member States.

Connections

How it fits with other rules

  • SUP Directive: recycled content in plastic beverage bottles PR-EU-016
    The SUP Directive sets bottle recycled content as a national average for each Member State, while Article 7 moves the duty onto each manufacturer through per-part, per-plant yearly averages (recitals 40 and 41)4. DG ENV records that on 30 June 2026 the Commission clarified how recycled content in new PET bottles is calculated; the DG ENV page does not state the legal basis6.
  • PPWR: 2040 minimum recycled content in plastic packaging PR-EU-005
    The 2040 tier raises the bottle figure to up to 65% under the same article2. For beverage bottles that means more than doubling the 30% share.
  • UK Plastic Packaging Tax PR-GB-001
    The UK Plastic Packaging Tax uses 30% recycled plastic as its tax threshold, the same number as the EU 2030 bottle minimum. The EU figure will be counted under the Article 7(8) method, so a bottle that passes the UK test should be rechecked once that act is adopted5.
  • Recycled content in plastic packaging (PWM Rules Schedule II, revised 2026) PR-IN-002
    India sets category-wise recycled content for plastic packaging with certificates for importers, whereas Article 7 relies on plant-year averages and an equivalence test for recycled plastic made outside the Union (recitals 45 to 49)4.
Timeline

History of the rule

  1. Commission proposal COM(2022) 677 includes minimum recycled content for plastic packaging7.

  2. Parliament adopts its first-reading position, T9-0318/20247.

  3. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 published in the Official Journal7.

  4. Commission clarifies the calculation of recycled content in new PET bottles6.

  5. Today

  6. Due date for the Article 7(8) calculation act, the Article 7(9) recycling technology criteria and the Article 7(10) equivalence act, all in preparation5.

  7. Commission assessment of possible derogations under Article 7(12)5.

  8. 2030 tier applies, including 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles2.

  9. Commission report reviewing the 2030 targets under Article 7(14)5.

Questions

Questions

What is the 2030 EU recycled content minimum for plastic beverage bottles?

Single-use plastic beverage bottles must contain at least 30% post-consumer recycled plastic under the 2030 tier of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40. The bottle figure rises to up to 65% by 2040, which PR-EU-005 tracks2.

Do caps, labels and other small plastic parts count?

A plastic part representing less than 5% of the total weight of the packaging unit is exempt under Article 7(5)(b). The Commission's June 2026 guidance says the exemption applies directly but must be documented in the technical file1.

Is food-contact plastic packaging exempt?

Only where recycled content would threaten human health and breach Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, under Article 7(5)(a). The technical file must then name the polymer of each part of 5% or more and show that no suitable recycling technology exists under Regulation (EU) 2022/16161.

How will the recycled share be calculated?

Through a Commission implementing act under Article 7(8), due by 31 December 2026 and still in preparation in October 20265. Recitals 40 and 41 say the share is met per plastic part and averaged per manufacturing plant and per year4.

Could the 2030 targets change before they apply?

The Commission must assess the need for derogations by 1 January 2028 under Article 7(12) and report on the 2030 targets by 12 February 2032 under Article 7(14). Either step could adjust which packaging is covered15.

Glossary

Definitions

Placing on the market
Defined in EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) applies PR-EU-001
Sources

Sources for this analysis

  1. EUR-Lex: Commission Notice C/2026/3084, Guidance document for Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (OJ C, 10.6.2026) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  2. European Parliament Legislative Observatory: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 summary Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  3. EUR-Lex: Summaries of EU legislation, Packaging and packaging waste (from 2026) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  4. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, OJ L 22.1.2025 Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  5. European Commission Green Forum: PPWR implementation timeline of implementing and delegated acts Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  6. European Commission (DG ENV): Packaging waste Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  7. European Parliament Legislative Observatory: procedure file 2022/0396(COD) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026

Written by the SPI team on 14 October 2026. Sources checked as of 14 October 2026. SPI analysis, not legal advice; always rely on the official text.

Audit trail

Change history

Verified: a second SPI team member re-checked every fact above against the source on 13 October 2026. Any later change to the facts sends the rule back to Sourced and is logged here.

  1. Verified by a second SPI team member

  2. Added to the tracker

Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-EU-004 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.

Other jurisdictions

Recycled content rules elsewhere

The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.

RuleWhereTypeMaterialsStatusApplies from
California minimum recycled content for plastic beverage containers (AB 793)PR-US-009California, United StatesRecycled contentPlasticIn force1 January 2022
New Jersey Recycled Content Law (P.L.2021, c.391)PR-US-010New Jersey, United StatesRecycled contentPlastic, Paper and board, GlassIn force18 January 2024
Recycled content in plastic packaging (PWM Rules Schedule II, revised 2026)PR-IN-002IndiaRecycled contentPlasticIn force31 March 2026

Every recycled content rule in the tracker

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