Skip to content
Specialized Packaging Market Intelligence and Strategic AdvisoryPackaging Intelligence. Clearer Decisions. Stronger Growth.
SPI Regulation Tracker

Packaging rule · European Union · Plan or strategy

PPWR: packaging waste reduction targets per capita

Plan or strategy covering all packaging in the European Union, set by European Parliament and Council of the EU. Adopted, not yet applying.

By the SPI teamRule ID PR-EU-011Source 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
Plan or strategy
Materials
All packaging
Status
Adopted, not yet applying Enacted
Rate or target
5%5% by 2030; 10% by 2035; 15% by 2040, versus 2018 per-capita levels.
Adopted or published
19 December 2024
From the source

“(a) by 5% by 2030; (b) by 10% by 2035; (c) 15% 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

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

Each Member State must reduce packaging waste per capita compared with 2018 by 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040.

In practice

The PPWR sets packaging waste prevention targets for Member States, not for individual companies: per capita packaging waste is to fall by at least 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040 compared with 2018 (Legislative Observatory summary; recital 120). Manufacturers and brand owners are touched indirectly, through whatever national measures Member States use to reach the targets. Lighter, reusable or eliminated packaging is the lever that reduces per capita tonnage, so these targets sit alongside the PPWR reuse and empty space rules.

Where the record is unclear

  • SPI has not yet confirmed any derogations or calculation rules against the operative text of Article 43.
  • The sources consulted give the years 2030, 2035 and 2040 but no exact days, which is why the record has no effective date.
  • Which national measures each Member State will use to meet the targets is not stated on the sources consulted.

Where it sits in the tracker

  • One of 18 packaging rules we track in the European Union, of which 1 are plan or strategy rules.
  • In all, 4 plan or strategy rules are tracked across 4 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 43 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 gives every Member State a prevention target measured in packaging waste generated per person: at least 5% less by 2030, 10% less by 2035 and 15% less by 2040, each against 201832. Recital 120 explains why the per capita cut is larger than it looks. Against the volumes expected without action, the Commission estimates the three steps at roughly 19%, 29% and 37% in absolute terms1.

The policy reason is the waste hierarchy. Recital 119 calls prevention the most efficient way to cut packaging's impact, and lists the levers: removing excess packaging and certain formats, longer packaging life, redesigned products and sales models including bulk, and a shift from single-use to reusable packaging1. Recital 121 adds economic instruments, EPR schemes and refill incentives, while warning against measures that simply swap heavier packaging for lighter material1.

The starting point is moving. Eurostat reports 177.8 kg of packaging waste per EU inhabitant in 2023, down 8.7 kg on 2022 after a peak of 190.1 kg in 2021, and 79.7 million tonnes in total4. Because the target is national and per capita, the tracker treats it as a plan for governments, with companies reached through whatever national measures follow.

Duties

Who must do what

Member States

  • Reduce packaging waste generated per capita by at least 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040 compared with 2018 (Article 43)3.
  • Add a separate packaging chapter to waste management plans and put re-use and prevention measures into waste prevention programmes under Directive 2008/98/EC (recital 117)1.
  • Report packaging waste data to the Commission in the format set by the Article 56(7) implementing act, due by 12 February 20275.
  • Before setting re-use targets above the EU ones under Article 29(15) or Article 51(2)(c), prove with facts and data that they are needed to meet the Article 43 targets, show no internal market distortion and notify them under the TRIS procedure (guidance section 27)2.

European Commission

  • Decide on a correction factor for changes in tourism compared with 2018, where a Member State's tourism has shifted (recital 120)1.
  • Receive national reports and the Article 56 data used to track progress against the 2030, 2035 and 2040 steps5.

Producers and brand owners (indirect)

  • Comply with the national measures each Member State chooses to meet its target, such as EPR fee incentives, economic instruments or support for re-use and refill (recital 121)1.
  • Supply data that national EPR systems need to calculate packaging placed on the market, since that drives the per capita figure.
Scope

Are you in scope?

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

  1. Is the obligated party a Member State?

    If yes
    Article 43 targets apply directly to it.
    If no
    A company carries no Article 43 percentage of its own; it is reached only through national measures.

  2. Is the packaging waste commercial or industrial, in a Member State that runs separate household and commercial systems?

    If yes
    Recital 120 notes per capita targets cannot apply directly to commercial and industrial waste, and such systems may be kept.
    If no
    Household packaging waste is the core of the per capita measure.

  3. Has tourism in the Member State changed significantly since 2018?

    If yes
    The Commission may apply a correction factor to the per capita calculation.
    If no
    The 2018 per capita figure is used unadjusted.

  4. Is a Member State imposing a re-use target on your products beyond those in Article 29?

    If yes
    It must meet the cumulative Article 51 conditions, including proof the target is needed for Article 43 and TRIS notification.
    If no
    Only the EU-level re-use targets apply to those products.

  5. Does a national measure just switch heavier packaging for lighter material?

    If yes
    Recital 121 says Member States should prioritise measures that avoid that shift.
    If no
    The measure fits the prevention aim the recital describes.
Checklist

Compliance checklist

  1. Map national prevention plans in your markets

    By Now

    SPI analysis of the official text. Not legal advice; confirm with the text or counsel. For each Member State you sell into, find the packaging chapter of the waste management plan and the prevention programme measures that recital 117 asks for.

    Evidence to keep Country register linking each plan to the measures that touch your packaging.

  2. Measure packaging weight per unit sold

    By Now

    National measures will target tonnage placed on the market, so record packaging grams per unit for each product and country to see where reduction is possible.

    Evidence to keep Weight per unit dataset by SKU and Member State, with a dated baseline.

  3. Check national re-use quotas against Article 51

    By On each TRIS notification

    Where a Member State proposes re-use targets beyond the EU ones, its TRIS notification is the point to see whether the Article 51 proof of necessity is there.

    Evidence to keep Log of TRIS notifications reviewed and any comments filed.

  4. Follow the reporting format

    By 2027-02-12

    The Article 56(7) reporting implementing act is due by this date and fixes how Member States report the data the targets are judged on.

    Evidence to keep Note of the reporting format and the data fields EPR schemes will ask for.

  5. Review exposure to the first step

    By 2030-12-31

    Member States behind the 5% step are the ones most likely to add fees or quotas; track national results as they are reported.

    Evidence to keep Annual table of national per capita figures against 2018.

  6. Plan for the tighter steps

    By 2035-12-31

    The target doubles to 10% by 2035 and reaches 15% by 2040, so expect national measures to tighten over the decade.

    Evidence to keep Long-range plan of weight and re-use changes by product line.

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

Who enforces
The European Commission monitors Member States against Article 43; Member States enforce the national measures they adopt to meet it.
Powers
The Commission receives Article 56 data and may adjust per capita figures for tourism. Member States can use EPR schemes, economic instruments and, under Article 51 conditions, extra re-use targets.
Enforcement so far
The first target year is 2030, so no Member State has yet been assessed against it.

Article 43 creates no company-level fine because the target sits with Member States. Any sanction a business faces comes from the national measure it breaches, such as an EPR or re-use obligation, and those penalties are set in each national law.

Connections

How it fits with other rules

Timeline

History of the rule

  1. Baseline year for per capita packaging waste.

  2. EU packaging waste peaks at 190.1 kg per inhabitant, according to Eurostat.

  3. Commission proposal COM(2022) 677 includes per capita prevention targets.

  4. Eurostat records 177.8 kg per inhabitant and 79.7 million tonnes in total.

  5. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 signed after Council adoption on 16 December 2024.

  6. Regulation applies.

  7. Today

  8. Reporting implementing act due (Article 56(7)).

  9. First target: 5% per capita reduction against 2018.

  10. Second target: 10%.

  11. Third target: 15%.

Questions

Questions

Does the PPWR set a packaging reduction target for my company?

No. Article 43 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 sets per capita targets of 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040 for each Member State. Companies are affected only through the national measures used to meet them.

What is the baseline for the EU packaging waste reduction targets?

The baseline is packaging waste generated per capita in 2018. The Commission may apply a correction factor where tourism has changed since 2018, according to recital 120.

How much packaging waste does each EU resident generate now?

Eurostat reports 177.8 kg per inhabitant in 2023, down from 186.5 kg in 2022 and a peak of 190.1 kg in 2021. Total EU packaging waste was 79.7 million tonnes in 2023.

Can a country use the target to impose its own re-use quotas?

Only under the Article 51 conditions, which the Commission guidance of 10 June 2026 describes as cumulative. The country must prove with data that the quota is needed for its Article 43 target, show it does not distort the internal market and notify it through TRIS.

Is a 5% per capita cut by 2030 a small change?

Recital 120 estimates that the 5% per capita step equals roughly a 19% reduction against the volume expected in 2030 without action. The 2035 and 2040 steps equal about 29% and 37%.

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: Regulation (EU) 2025/40, OJ L 22.1.2025, recitals 117 to 121 Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  2. EUR-Lex: Commission Notice C/2026/3084, Guidance document for Regulation (EU) 2025/40, section 27 Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  3. European Parliament Legislative Observatory: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 summary Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  4. Eurostat Statistics Explained: Packaging waste statistics (data extracted 10 October 2025) Statistics · Consulted 14 October 2026
  5. European Commission Green Forum: PPWR implementation timeline Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  6. EUR-Lex: Summaries of EU legislation, Packaging and packaging waste (from 2026), last updated 26.9.2025 Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  7. European Parliament Legislative Observatory: procedure file 2022/0396(COD) Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  8. European Commission (DG ENV): Packaging waste Consulted 13 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-011 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.

Other jurisdictions

Plan or strategy rules elsewhere

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

RuleWhereTypeMaterialsStatusApplies from
Roadmap for Waste Reduction by Producers (MoEF Regulation 75/2019)PR-ID-001IndonesiaPlan or strategyAll packagingIn force5 December 2019
2025 National Packaging TargetsPR-AU-001AustraliaPlan or strategyAll packagingExpired–
France AGEC law: end of single-use plastic packaging by 2040PR-FR-001FrancePlan or strategySingle-use plasticIn force–

Every plan or strategy rule in the tracker

ClosingAsk the SPI team

Ask the SPI team

Does this rule apply to your packs?

Tell us your products, materials and markets. An analyst maps the obligations, fees and deadlines that apply, with every source.

Request a briefing

Prefer email? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com.

Questions people bring
  1. Q1

    Which packaging rules apply to us in each market we sell in?

    We map each market's EPR, tax, ban, recycled-content, labelling and deposit rules against your materials and formats, and show which are in force, adopted or only proposed.

  2. Q2

    What could EPR fees and plastic taxes cost us next year?

    We apply published fee tables and tax rates to your tonnages and recycled content, and show the result as scenarios with every rate sourced.

  3. Q3

    Can you tell us when a rule changes?

    Yes. The free tracker alerts cover rule changes by country; a monitoring retainer adds monthly notes on what the changes mean for your portfolio.