PPWR: How your ERP can help you comply

The EU’s new packaging regulation takes effect in August 2026. For food businesses, the obligations are immediate, which requires big changes around how you handle packaging. However the right systems can make compliance manageable. We explain what the PPWR includes and how your ERP can support you to manage this new regulation.

What is the PPWR?

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is the EU’s new legal framework for all packaging placed on the European market. It entered into force on 11 February 2025 and replaces the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

The key difference with the old directive: the PPWR is a directly applicable regulation, not a directive. It creates uniform, binding obligations across all 27 EU member states simultaneously. This means it is no longer a patchwork of country-specific rules. It covers all packaging types (primary, secondary, tertiary, and service packaging) across the full product lifecycle, with the goal of making all packaging recyclable by 2030 and driving the transition to a circular economy.

When does the PPWR apply?

Most provisions become enforceable on 12 August 2026. From that date, any packaging placed on the EU market must comply. Further obligations phase in through to 2040:

Packaging redesigns and supply chain transitions typically need 12–24 months of lead time, so action is needed now. Not just for 2026, but for 2030 and beyond.

How it applies to food businesses

Food and drink companies face some of the most immediate obligations under the PPWR.

PFAS ban (from 12 August 2026). Food-contact packaging (burger wrappers, pizza boxes, microwaveable trays, baking paper) may no longer contain PFAS (“forever chemicals”) above strict concentration thresholds. There is no grandfathering: packaging placed on the market after the deadline must comply regardless of when it was produced. Businesses need to audit their packaging supply chain now and switch to certified PFAS-free alternatives.

Reuse and refill obligations (from 2027–2030). From February 2027, Horeca businesses must allow consumers to bring their own containers for beverages. By 2030, 10% of takeaway food and drink must be offered in reusable packaging, and single-use plastic sachets for condiments, sugar, and coffee creamer will be banned in food service.

Recyclability and recycled content (by 2030). All packaging must meet recyclability grade A, B, or C. Plastic food packaging must contain minimum levels of recycled content (30% for PET-based contact-sensitive packaging, 10% for other contact-sensitive plastics.) Multi-material laminates common in food packaging will likely require redesign.

Harmonised labelling (from 2028). All packaging must carry standardised material composition information and sorting instructions, with QR codes required on reusable packaging from 2029.

How your ERP can support compliance

The PPWR is as much a data challenge as a design challenge. Your ERP is central to managing it.

A well-configured ERP can store structured packaging specifications against each product in the item master. This includes material type, weight, recycled content, and PFAS certification. It can manage supplier documentation (test reports, compliance certificates) and retain them for the five or ten years the regulation requires. Crucially, EPR reporting obligations from August 2026 require businesses to report packaging volumes and materials per EU member state. Ideally this data should flow directly from sales and logistics modules rather than being assembled manually each cycle. The right ERP configuration can save you a lot of time.

ERP systems with product lifecycle management and reporting capabilities can track compliance status across the full product portfolio, and flag upcoming deadlines.

Be ready before August

The PPWR is the most significant overhaul of EU packaging legislation in 30 years. For food businesses, the August 2026 deadline is close. The obligations running through to 2040 make this an ongoing compliance programme, not a one-time project. The businesses best positioned are those building the data infrastructure now to manage what comes next, with their ERP as the backbone.

For more detailed information on the PPWR, read the official EU regulation.