PPWR: what the EU packaging regulation changes for food & beverage

All packaging recyclable by 2030

From 2030, all packaging placed on the EU market must be recyclable, against eco-design criteria defined by performance grades. Packaging graded as non-recyclable can no longer be sold. The assessment is done component by component: tray, film, lidding, label and inks are each scored separately.

In practice, every SKU in your portfolio needs auditing: materials, multilayer combinations, adhesives and inks. Non-separable multilayer packaging is first at risk.

Mandatory recycled content in plastics

The PPWR sets minimum recycled-content rates for plastic packaging, with a first step in 2030 and a tightening in 2040. Food-contact packaging is the hardest case: recycled plastic must be approved for food contact, a supply chain still maturing for several polymers.

Packaging minimisation and empty space

The regulation requires packaging weight and volume to be reduced to the minimum necessary, and caps the empty-space ratio for certain channels. Oversized packaging that exists purely for shelf impact becomes a compliance risk.

What this means for your product data

PPWR compliance is a data problem: the exact composition of every packaging component, its mass, recyclability, recycled-content rate and supplier. If that information lives in scattered Excel files, a portfolio audit becomes a months-long project.

A PLM that structures packaging data at the same level as the recipe lets you score the recyclability of every SKU, flag non-compliant components and simulate alternatives with their cost and carbon impact. That is exactly what crumble-ai provides: packaging is first-class product data, continuously assessed against the PPWR deadlines.