The countdown is on.
For months, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, (PPWR) has sat in the category of “important, but not yet urgent.” That phase is over.
It is no longer a future policy issue. PPWR was approved in February and goes into effect August 12, replacing the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC. Now, companies have just three months to prepare.
The regulation is intended to reduce packaging waste, improve packaging sustainability and reshape how packaging is designed, documented and managed. These targets make PPWR an operational readiness issue as much as a regulatory one.
The risk is more than non-compliant packaging
PPWR readiness involves more than physical packaging. It also addresses packaging design, including which materials can be used, weight restrictions, empty space requirements, recyclability, re-use formats and labelling.
However, the first serious compliance challenge centers around data.
PPWR compliance depends on what a company can know, document and substantiate about its product packaging. Companies will need to identify the packaging formats used across their products, verify composition at component level, support recycled-content figures with supplier-backed evidence and assess recyclability consistently across business units and markets.
In many organizations, that information is fragmented across procurement records, specification sheets, supplier declarations, ERP systems, sustainability teams and local functions. The compliance gap may therefore appear in the data before it appears in the packaging.
Packaging data can make or break readiness
Packaging data should therefore be treated as a compliance infrastructure. For years, this data was considered useful for reporting, customer questionnaires or internal sustainability dashboards.
Under PPWR, that data becomes crucial for decisions on recyclability and re-use, minimization, and future recycled-content requirements for plastic packaging. The regulation applies to any company that places packaging on the European Market.
Four actions to help prepare for PPRW
Companies that are best prepared by August will not necessarily be those with the boldest public commitments but rather the ones that can connect packaging decisions with reliable data, technical evidence and clear ownership.
Without that foundation, even businesses that are serious about packaging sustainability may struggle to prioritize action, defend claims or respond consistently when requirements tighten.
These four steps can help companies prepare for the August deadline.
Priority 1: Build a credible packaging baseline. Many businesses still lack a single, trusted view of all packaging formats placed on the market. Before any readiness program can be effective, companies need an inventory that captures formats, materials, weights, supplier sources and likely compliance exposure.
Priority 2: Run a structured PPWR gap assessment. Do not settle on whether or not packaging looks more sustainable in general terms. Test where the portfolio will be scrutinized under the regulation, such as packaging minimization, recycled-content requirements for plastic packaging, and labelling implications. The point is to move from broad sustainability narratives to a practical map of regulatory exposure.
Priority 3: Improve supplier data and documentation processes. For many companies, packaging compliance depends on information from converters, material suppliers or logistics partners. Even a well-designed internal program can stall if declarations are inconsistent, incomplete or difficult to validate. PPWR therefore raises the importance of supplier engagement and stronger evidence standards.
Priority 4: Establish clear governance structures. Packaging development may sit with R&D or innovation. Supplier information could reside with procurement. Reporting can sit with sustainability, legal interpretation with regulatory affairs. And systems support data might be with IT. PPWR identifies this fragmentation as a risk. Companies need clear ownership and a shared internal view of what readiness actually means in practice.
What companies should do before August
Well-prepared companies will act early and thoughtfully, starting with visibility, not assumptions. They will establish a packaging data baseline before rushing into redesign decisions and identify where evidence is weak before making compliance claims.
They will engage suppliers early, rather than discovering too late that the underlying data is inconsistent. These companies will understand that readiness is not about doing everything at once. It is about doing the right things in the right order.
PPWR should be treated as a cross-functional transformation issue, not as a problem that can be solved exclusively by packaging teams. Achieving compliance requires close collaboration across functions such as R&D, procurement, sustainability and regulatory affairs. Only an integrated solution can deliver truly optimized and efficient outcomes.
Sphera’s combined offering of software, data and consulting services enables companies to address PPWR requirements holistically and at scale:
- Sphera’s packaging-focused software solutions, include:
- Packaging Calculator: an intuitive, easy-to-use tool for streamlined LCA calculations and packaging design comparisons
- LCA for Experts: a robust solution for assessing environmental impacts across the full life cycle of products and packaging, processes and services
- EC4P: a cloud-based platform that centralizes packaging data and automates reporting and EPR obligations, helping companies meet PPWR requirements across EU markets
- BOMcheck: a solution for automating supply chain product compliance declarations for packaging
- Sphera´s MLC database provides:
- High-quality, third-party verified LCA content based on industry data
- More than 20.000 datasets, continuously updated to ensure accuracy and relevance
- Expert consulting services feature:
- A global team of more than 200 consultants
- Dedicated sector experts with deep specialization in packaging, regulatory frameworks and a broad range of other sustainability topics.
The real work starts now
August 2026 is the date companies see on the calendar. But in practical terms, the real deadline is earlier. It takes time to change packaging, improve data, engage suppliers and establish internal governance.
If businesses act now, they can turn PPWR into a stronger packaging and data program and prove they are ready for this new regulation.
Contact Sphera for questions on PPWR or help getting started.
