Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Applies from
12 August 2026
Binds
Everyone
Evidence
LOCKED read in the EUR-Lex text
What it requires
Sets the vocabulary the whole regulation runs on. The ones that decide who you are: manufacturer at Art. 3(1)(13) is whoever has packaging designed or manufactured under its own name or trademark, regardless of whether any other trademark is visible, which is why private label lands on the retailer. Placing on the market at Art. 3(1)(10) is the first making available on the Union market. Producer responsibility organization is Art. 3(1)(66). Get these wrong and every downstream obligation attaches to the wrong party.
This is a plain-English summary for planning, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the text. Read Article 3 in full at EUR-Lex, and verify against the Official Journal before any compliance decision.