EU Regulatory Regime · Standard
Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) 2025/40 — importer obligations + worked example
Status
Status: In force from 11 February 2026; obligations phase in to 2030.
What you must do as the importer
Packaging must be recyclable, marked with material composition, and meet recycled-content minimums (phased in: PET 30% by 2030, plastic packaging 35% by 2030). Single-use plastic packaging restrictions apply. Importer responsible for ensuring conformity even if supplier supplied non-compliant packaging.
What goods are covered
- All consumer goods entering the EU market
Worked example: a typical shipment that triggers
A €50,000 shipment of apparel (HS 6203.42) from CN into the EU triggers Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) 2025/40. The customs duty + VAT are calculated as normal — but on top of that, the importer must satisfy the obligations above before the goods can be placed on the EU market.
Non-compliance is not a duty event — it is a market-access event
A common misunderstanding: importers focus on duty + VAT and treat compliance as a tickbox. EU customs increasingly hold goods at the border for missing documentation (DDS for EUDR, CBAM declarant status for steel/aluminium, EU Responsible Person for cosmetics). Holds become storage charges; storage charges become forced re-export. Validate before booking the freight.
Related OrcaTrade resources
See whether this regime applies to your specific shipment
Six questions, all four calculators (sourcing, routing, customs, warehouse), full landed cost — with this regime flagged on your specific HS code if applicable.
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