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Packaging rule · European Union · Recycled content

PPWR: 2040 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 2040.

By the SPI teamRule ID PR-EU-005Source 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
65%65% figure is for single-use plastic beverage bottles; other categories differ.
Adopted or published
19 December 2024
Applies from
1 January 2040
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 today

  3. Re-checked by a second SPI team member today

  4. Today

  5. Applies from in 13 years

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

Recycled-content targets for plastic packaging rise in 2040, up to 65% for single-use plastic beverage bottles.

In practice

Recycled content targets for plastic packaging rise again in 2040, up to 65% for single-use plastic beverage bottles. For converters and brand owners this is a long-range signal for resin strategy, recycling investment and design choices that make packaging easier to recycle back into the same application. The 2040 levels may be reviewed before they apply, so they are a planning assumption rather than a fixed number.

Who is in scope

  • Plastic packaging placed on the EU market, with increased targets applying from 2040 (recital 36; Legislative Observatory summary).
  • Single-use plastic beverage bottles, with targets rising up to 65% by 2040 (Legislative Observatory summary).

Who is not

  • The same exceptions described for the 2030 targets are listed in the EUR-Lex summary: pharmaceutical packaging, infant and young child food packaging, medical devices, transport of hazardous goods and compostable plastics.
  • The opened sources do not state exclusions specific to 2040.

What to do and by when

  1. NowInclude 2040 recycled content levels in long-term resin sourcing and recycling investment plans.
  2. NowCheck whether current designs (colours, multilayers, additives) limit closed-loop recycling into food-grade resin.
  3. 12 February 2032Watch for the Commission review of the recycled content targets and adjust 2040 assumptions.
  4. 1 January 2040Budget for the higher recycled share in costings for each affected packaging category.

Related rules

  • PR-EU-004 PPWR: 2030 minimum recycled content in plastic packaging
    2030 recycled content targets that these 2040 targets build on.
  • PR-EU-016 SUP Directive: recycled content in plastic beverage bottles
    Earlier SUP Directive bottle targets of 25% and 30%.
  • PR-US-009 California minimum recycled content for plastic beverage containers (AB 793)
    California's minimum recycled content for plastic beverage containers, rising to 50% in 2030.
  • PR-US-010 New Jersey Recycled Content Law (P.L.2021, c.391)
    New Jersey's recycled content law, which reaches 50% for beverage containers in 2044.

Where the record is unclear

  • Only the single-use plastic beverage bottle figure (up to 65%) appears on the Legislative Observatory page. The 2040 percentages for other categories sit in Article 7, which SPI has not yet checked for this note.
  • The Commission timeline lists a review of recycled content targets by 12 February 2032 and an evaluation of derogations by 1 January 2028, so 2040 levels and scope may change.
  • The calculation methodology implementing act (due 31 December 2026) will also govern how 2040 shares are measured.

Sources for this note

  1. European Parliament Legislative Observatory: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 summary Consulted 13 October 2026
  2. EUR-Lex: Summaries of EU legislation, Packaging and packaging waste (from 2026), last updated 26.9.2025 Consulted 13 October 2026
  3. European Commission Green Forum: Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation implementation (timeline of implementing and delegated acts) Consulted 13 October 2026
  4. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, OJ L 22.1.2025, HTML text Consulted 13 October 2026

Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.

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.

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-005 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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Questions people bring
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  2. Q2

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