PPWR Update: Week of July 27, 2026

Regulatory & Policy  |  July 31, 2026

DG Environment published a second edition of its PPWR FAQ through the Publications Office on July 31, 2026, without announcement (ISBN 978-92-68-42316-5, catalog number KH-01-26-068-EN-N, DOI 10.2779/4868962; the March edition was ISBN 978-92-68-37678-2). It has 20 sections and 155 numbered questions across 69 pages, against 19 sections and 50 pages, with every change tagged NEW or UPDATED. The DG ENV landing page still displays "30 March 2026", but its download link now redirects to the new record. New Section XVI covers enforcement after August 12, 2026. The Commission states that "the enforcement of the obligations applicable as from 12 August 2026 should not disrupt trade flows, supply chains or consumer access to goods", that Article 62 requires a Member State to first require the operator to end the non-compliance and give it an opportunity to correct before prohibiting, recalling or withdrawing packaging, and that market surveillance authorities should support responsible operators rather than follow a sanction-oriented approach. A new Section X question settles the stock question: packaging produced before August 12, 2026 but not yet placed on the market does not have to be destroyed, remanufactured or relabeled, and "Packaging that has been placed on the market before 12 August 2026 can remain on the market, even if it is non-compliant with PPWR." Section VII states that "Both Article 10(1) and (2) apply by 1 January 2030. Until the end of 2029, the essential requirements from the PPWD continue to apply". Section II grows from 8 to 15 questions, adding manufacturer and producer tests for transport and branded packaging and ruling that envelopes containing correspondence are not packaging while empty envelopes are. Section III points to Annex C of EN 13428:2004 for Article 5(1) and CEN report CR 13695-1/2000 for the Article 5(4) heavy-metal limits. Section XVIII confirms that Article 44(5) lets a Member State require information beyond the PPWR list where necessary and proportionate for monitoring EPR compliance. Read this as a Commission interpretive document, not as the Official Journal text. It says so itself: "This document complements the Commission Notice - Guidance document for Regulation 2025/40 (EU) on packaging and packaging waste." [LOCKED] on what the Commission says, read August 3, 2026. Not [LOCKED] on what the Regulation requires; for that, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 governs.

Regulatory & Policy  |  July 29, 2026

With two weeks to go, three points sit in the detail rather than the headline dates. First, recyclability. The A, B, and C grades are a 2030 obligation, but the recyclability requirement is not, because the Commission guidance states that Article 6(1) "applies from 12 August 2026," measured against the old Directive and EN 13430:2004 until the Article 6(4) act lands. Second, stock. No transitional period exists for exhausting stocks, but packaging already placed on the market "may remain on the market and does not need to be withdrawn," and placing on the market means transfer of ownership or possession, with imports timestamped at release for free circulation. Third, the old Directive. Article 70 repeals Directive 94/62/EC from August 12 but keeps parts running to 2028 and 2029, and Decision 97/129/EC on material identification codes survives to August 2028. Detail and citations are on the Prepare for PPWR tab. Sources: Reg (EU) 2025/40 Arts. 6, 70; Commission Notice C/2026/3084, June 10, 2026 [LOCKED].

Correction (October 24, 2026): The A, B and C grades are not a fixed 2030 obligation. Under Article 6(3) they apply from January 1, 2030, or 24 months after the Article 6(4) delegated acts enter into force, whichever is the latest. [LOCKED]

Regulatory & Policy  |  July 27, 2026

Two live deposit return systems published performance data this month. Romania's RetuRO reported more than 2.4 billion containers returned in the first half of 2026, an 82 percent return rate, up three points year on year, and coverage of 92 percent of localities above 1,500 inhabitants. Portugal's Volta, live since April 10, 2026, passed 100 million containers and an estimated 38 percent collection rate by the end of July, across more than 2,500 automated collection points. Both are benchmarks for the member states that must stand up a system by January 1, 2029 under Article 50. Source: RetuRO H1 2026 barometer, July 27, 2026; SDR Portugal, July 21, 2026 [SIGNALED].