Guide
Everything you need to know about the PPWR declaration of conformity — explained clearly.
PPWR Declaration of Conformity: Requirements, Template Structure & Deadline (Art. 39 & Annex VIII)
Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40), the EU declaration of conformity becomes mandatory for packaging on 12 August 2026. From that date, anyone placing packaging on the EU market for the first time must be able to document that it meets the applicable requirements. This guide explains the eight mandatory points of Annex VIII, the deadline and retention periods, what to look for in a PPWR declaration of conformity template — and the fastest way to produce a compliant document.
PPWR Compliance Requirements 2026: What Packaging Companies Must Do
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40) replaces the previous Packaging Directive and applies directly in every member state. From 12 August 2026, packaging placed on the EU market for the first time must meet the new requirements and be properly documented. This overview explains who is affected by the PPWR requirements, how conformity is assessed and documented, what penalties may follow — and how to work through PPWR compliance step by step.
PPWR Deadlines & Timeline: 12 August 2026 and What Comes Next
The PPWR timeline is shorter than many packaging companies realise. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies from 12 August 2026 — and for the central documentation duty, the EU declaration of conformity, there is no transition period. This article lays out the PPWR deadlines: what is mandatory on day one, which milestones follow towards 2030 and beyond, and what to prepare now.
PPWR Labelling Requirements: What Applies When (Article 12) — No New Mandatory Harmonised Label Before August 2028, Sorting Labels from 2028, Reuse Labels from 2029
Few PPWR topics are dated as wrongly as labelling. The short truth: Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 does not require any new harmonised mandatory label on packaging before 12 August 2028. What does apply in 2026, what follows in 2028 and 2029, and which claims stay voluntary — here is the timeline, paragraph by paragraph from the regulation itself.
PPWR Recycled Content Targets (Article 7): the 2030 and 2040 Minimums per Packaging Category, What Counts as Post-Consumer — and How to Document It
From 2030 — or later, if the calculation methodology act is delayed — any plastic part of packaging placed on the EU market must contain minimum percentages of recycled content, staggered by packaging category, with a second step in 2040. This guide explains the targets of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, what qualifies as post-consumer material, which packaging is exempt and how compliance is documented.
REACH Declaration of Conformity: What REACH Actually Requires for Packaging — and Which EU Laws Do Demand a Declaration (PPWR, Food Contact)
Buyers ask packaging suppliers for a “REACH declaration of conformity” every day — yet the term does not appear in the REACH Regulation at all. This guide untangles the confusion: what REACH actually requires for articles such as packaging, what the documents suppliers send really are, and which EU laws genuinely demand a declaration — including the PPWR’s EU declaration of conformity that becomes mandatory on 12 August 2026.