The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation places very specific obligations on companies selling packaged goods. Guidance and orientation can be provided through expert advice, which packaging machinery manufacturers can deliver in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Laura Gascho, Expert in Flexible Packaging; Michael Graf, Head of the Packaging Competence Center; Stefan Horvath, Product Manager; Valentin Köhler, Packaging Development; Pascal Kurz, Final Assembly Testing (Gerhard Schubert GmbH).

It is official: Since 12 August 2026, companies bringing packaging onto the market within the EU must comply with the requirements of the PPWR. In practical terms, this translates into significantly reduced empty space, minimum recycled content requirements for plastic packaging, and the use of easily recyclable materials, to name just a few. Packaged goods companies need to reconcile regulatory, technological and market requirements if they are to remain competitive on the European market in the future. There is often a gap, however, between regulatory requirements and compliant practice. Packaged goods companies often lack the time and expertise to meet these challenging requirements on their own. Given the sheer volume of demands, several well-founded questions arise: Are existing machines, materials and packaging solutions sufficient? Or do companies need to rethink these from the ground up to be PPWR-compliant by 2030 at the latest?

When considering packaging materials and their suitability for the PPWR, an outside perspective is extremely helpful: machinery manufacturers can act as the interface between technical, environmental and economic requirements. After all, they themselvescollaborate with material manufacturers, converters and recyclers.

The resulting pool of knowledge is extensive and wide-ranging – and can provide real guidance to packaging companies. At its Packaging Competence Center, for example, Gerhard Schubert brings together comprehensive expertise relating to sustainable, future-proof packaging solutions – both in the context of the PPWR and beyond. Here is one example to illustrate just how complex some of these issues can be.

Due to its excellent recyclability, paper is highly sought-after as a packaging material. However, a paper flowpack can be significantly larger than its plastic counterpart, with far-reaching consequences. Larger flowpacks mean potentially larger boxes, transport crates and pallets – with considerable implications for transport costs and the final product price.

Taking these factors into account during packaging development is one of the benefits of collaborative partnerships. But the guidance provided by interdisciplinary consultancy remains ineffective if packaging line designs cannot be adapted. Precisely because regulations can change rapidly, the production infrastructure itself has to offer a certain degree of flexibility. Minimising risk therefore also means deploying modular packaging line designs that do not stand in the way of change but rather facilitate it.