Short answerPPWR requires plastic packaging to contain 10% to 35% post-consumer recycled content from 2030, depending on packaging type, rising to 25% to 65% by 2040. Reuse targets start in 2030: 40% for transport packaging, 10% for grouped packaging and 10% for beverages. Both are calculated as annual averages and evidenced through supplier certificates and rotation records.
Key takeaways
- From 2030, contact-sensitive PET packaging needs 30% recycled content, other contact-sensitive plastics 10%, single-use beverage bottles 30% and other plastic packaging 35%.
- Reuse targets from 1 January 2030 require 40% reusable transport packaging, 10% reusable grouped packaging, 10% of beverages in reusable packaging and 100% reuse for transport between own sites.
- Recycled content is calculated per manufacturing plant and per year from post-consumer plastic waste only, so pre-consumer scrap does not count towards the minimums.
Two levers with different evidence burdens
Recycled content and reuse targets push packaging towards circularity from opposite ends, and each needs its own evidence chain. Recycled content minimums under Article 7 apply to the plastic part of packaging and require proof of the origin of recycled material. Reuse targets under Article 29 apply to economic operators that use or make available certain packaging and require proof that units circulate within a system for reuse. Both start on 1 January 2030, with higher tiers in 2040. The PPWR timeline shows where they sit among the other milestones.
Recycled content minimums for plastic packaging
The minimum depends on whether packaging is contact-sensitive and on the main polymer. Recycled content means plastic recovered from post-consumer plastic waste, calculated per manufacturing plant and per year.
| Plastic packaging type | From 2030 | From 2040 |
|---|---|---|
| Contact-sensitive packaging with PET as main component | 30% | 50% |
| Contact-sensitive packaging of other plastics, except single-use beverage bottles | 10% | 25% |
| Single-use plastic beverage bottles | 30% | 65% |
| Other plastic packaging | 35% | 65% |
The 2030 tier applies from 1 January 2030 or three years after the implementing act on calculation and verification methodology, whichever is later. Exemptions cover compostable plastic packaging, packaging where the plastic part is below 5% of total packaging weight, and certain contact-sensitive packaging for medicinal products and medical devices, among others. The 2040 tiers are subject to a Commission review due by 12 February 2032 (Article 7(14)).
Food-grade recyclate sits at the centre of the challenge. Mechanically recycled PET for food contact is established, while food-grade recycled polyolefins remain scarce. How chemically recycled content counts, including mass balance approaches, depends on the methodology act, so a 2030 plan should not rest on a single recycling route.
Reuse and refill targets by sector
Reuse targets focus on business-to-business transport packaging and on beverages, where reuse systems already operate at scale.
- Transport packaging such as pallets, plastic crates, foldable boxes, intermediate bulk containers, pails and drums: at least 40% reusable by 2030, with a 70% aim for 2040.
- Transport between own sites, or between linked enterprises, within or across Member States: 100% reusable from 2030. Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429 exempts certain operators using pallet wrappings and straps from this 100% requirement.
- Grouped packaging used to bundle sales units: at least 10% reusable by 2030, with a 25% aim for 2040.
- Beverages in sales packaging, with exclusions such as milk, wine and spirits: at least 10% in reusable packaging by 2030, with a 40% aim for 2040.
- Takeaway food and drinks: HORECA final distributors must accept customers' own containers and offer reusable packaging options.
Cardboard boxes are exempt from the transport and grouped targets (Article 29(4)). Micro-enterprises that make no more than 1,000 kg of packaging available in a Member State per year are excluded (Article 29(13)), and Member States can grant renewable 5-year exemptions where recycling and prevention performance is ahead of target (Article 29(14)). Reusable packaging must also meet design requirements on rotations and belong to a system for reuse, as defined in Article 11 and Annex VI.
How to calculate and evidence the targets
Each target needs a defined numerator, denominator and reporting period, documented in the technical file. For recycled content, the numerator is the mass of post-consumer recycled plastic and the denominator is the total plastic mass, per plant and per calendar year. For reuse, the calculation compares units of reusable packaging in a system for reuse with total units of the relevant packaging type, per Member State and per year.
The central insight is that both targets are audited as averages and evidenced at transaction level. A plant-level recycled content average only holds if every resin delivery carries a certificate that ties back to a batch. A reuse share only holds if pool operators or internal systems record rotations and return rates per unit type. Certification schemes such as RecyClass Recycled Content Traceability, EuCertPlast or ISCC PLUS can support evidence, subject to how the implementing act treats them.
Supplier data requirements
Supplier data is the bottleneck for both targets, so contracts should specify data before volumes. A packaging buyer should request per delivery or batch:
- polymer type and food-contact status of the recycled input;
- recycled content percentage, split into post-consumer and pre-consumer, since only post-consumer counts;
- recycling process (mechanical or chemical) and certification scheme with certificate number;
- country of the recycling installation, relevant for imported packaging;
- for reusable packaging: expected rotations, pool operator, washing and repair process.
These attributes belong on the packaging component record, as set out in the packaging data model, so that recycled content rolls up from component to SKU automatically. Recycled content and recyclability reinforce each other: packaging that scores well in the design-for-recycling assessment feeds the recyclate streams that future recycled content depends on.
Frequently asked questions
Does pre-consumer recycled plastic count towards PPWR targets?
No. Article 7 counts only plastic recovered from post-consumer plastic waste. Industrial scrap and production regrind may still reduce virgin material use, but they do not contribute to the minimum percentages. Supplier declarations should therefore separate post-consumer and pre-consumer shares.
At what level is recycled content measured?
Recycled content is calculated as an average per manufacturing plant and per year, for each packaging type in the table of targets. The Commission sets the detailed calculation and verification methodology in an implementing act, which also determines when the 2030 tier starts to apply.
Are reuse targets mandatory for every company?
The targets apply to economic operators using or making available the packaging types covered, from 1 January 2030. Micro-enterprises placing no more than 1,000 kg of packaging per Member State per year are excluded (Article 29(13)), cardboard boxes are exempt from transport and grouped packaging targets (Article 29(4)), and Member States may grant renewable 5-year exemptions under Article 29(14).
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (EUR-Lex)
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40, consolidated text (EUR-Lex)
- Commission Notice C(2026) 3702: Guidance on Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (EUR-Lex)
- Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429 on pallet wrappings and straps (EUR-Lex)
- PPWR Article 29 re-use targets, LawPlayer (mirror of CELEX 32025R0040)