PPWR — timeline of obligations
PPWR from 12 August 2026: what applies now and what comes later
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies, as a rule, from 12 August 2026. That does not mean every requirement starts on the same day. Some obligations have later deadlines and some depend on implementing acts the Commission has not adopted yet. Below we separate what you need ready now from what concerns the coming years.
12 August 2026 is the date PPWR starts to apply, not a date for withdrawing packaging from the market. Packaging placed on the market before that day may remain on it.
What applies from 12 August 2026
From that day the core of the regulation applies: manufacturer obligations, conformity assessment, technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity, as well as packaging identification and manufacturer details.
- Establishing who the PPWR manufacturer is — this decides who draws up the declaration of conformity.
- The EU declaration of conformity and technical documentation for packaging placed on the market after that date.
- Identification of packaging by type, model, batch, serial number or another equivalent element.
- Manufacturer details: name or trademark, postal address and an electronic contact where available.
- Supplier information and documentation passed to a customer who is the manufacturer (Article 16 PPWR).
What has later deadlines
Several widely discussed PPWR requirements start later. They are worth planning for, but should not be presented as binding from August 2026.
- 12 February 2028 — the duty to limit empty space in sales packaging to the necessary minimum.
- 12 February 2028 — the planned date for the Commission to adopt the detailed empty-space calculation method.
- 1 January 2030 or three years after the relevant implementing act enters into force (whichever is later) — the 50% empty space limit for grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging.
- Further material and labelling requirements depend on implementing acts and harmonised standards.
Stock and packaging produced earlier
Packaging placed on the market before 12 August 2026 may remain there. For stock produced before that date but not yet placed on the market, the Commission FAQ allows the information required by Article 15(5) and (6) to be provided in an accompanying document. For packaging produced after that date an accompanying document replaces marking only where placing the information directly on the pack is genuinely impossible due to its size or nature.
What to check in your company before 12 August
A short checklist for pastry shops, bakeries, food producers and online sellers using carton packaging:
- For every product index check who the PPWR manufacturer is — the supplier or your company as brand owner.
- Collect declarations of conformity and supplier documentation for the packaging you buy.
- Make sure each pack can be linked to a type, model and production batch.
- Verify that the manufacturer details in the print artwork are current and complete.
- Do not treat food-contact documentation as a PPWR declaration of conformity — these are two separate legal bases.
Frequently asked questions
Related codes and topics
Who is the packaging manufacturer under PPWR
When the supplier is the manufacturer and when the pastry shop or brand owner is — and who draws up the EU declaration of conformity.
PPWR: obligations, DoC and traceability
The pillar page: who the manufacturer is, who draws up the declaration and how type and batch identification works.
Food-contact declaration of conformity
How FCM documentation differs from the PPWR declaration and why one does not replace the other.
Production batch traceability
How we link type, model and batch with materials and quality control records.
The PAP 21 code on boxes
The material code for the solid board we use for pastry and bakery boxes.
Not sure what you need ready by 12 August?
Send us the indexes or dimensions of your boxes and details of the print. We will check who the PPWR manufacturer is and what documentation should accompany your packaging.
Related topics
Further articles from the PPWR series — the closest topics to this page.