Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
| Applies from | February 12, 2028 |
|---|---|
| Binds | Manufacturers, importers |
| Evidence | Locked read in the EUR-Lex text |
Names the formats that must be compostable rather than recyclable. Art. 9(1) requires, from February 12, 2028, only the packaging in Art. 3(1)(1)(f), a permeable tea, coffee or other beverage bag, or a soft after-use system single-serve unit that contains tea, coffee or another beverage and is used and disposed of together with the product, plus sticky labels affixed to fruit and vegetables, to be compostable in industrially controlled conditions. Non-permeable tea, coffee or other beverage system single-serve units intended for use in a machine (coffee capsules) fall under Art. 3(1)(1)(g) and appear only in Art. 9(2)(a) as a member state option, and then only where made of material other than metal, so aluminum capsules sit outside even the option. Very lightweight and lightweight plastic carrier bags are likewise Art. 9(2)(a) options rather than an EU mandate, and the option is conditional on that member state collecting comparable waste with bio-waste and having suitable treatment infrastructure. Art. 9(1) is material-neutral, so a paper-based soft single-serve unit is caught. Everything else defaults to the recyclability regime under Art. 9(3), which is why a compostable claim is not a general escape route from Art. 6.