Labelling & formats
PPWR compostable packaging
Last regulatory verification: 12 August 2026 · 4 official sources
PPWR requires certain packaging formats to be compostable and treats compostability as an exception, not a default. What is binding, and what the standards add.
Free PPWR Check60 seconds. Find out whether this packaging should be reviewed.Short answer
PPWR treats compostability as a targeted exception, not a general alternative to recycling. A short list of formats must be compostable from 12 August 2028. For everything else, compostable material is a design choice that still has to satisfy the recyclability requirements.
Regulatory status
Phases in- Legal basis
- Article 9, Regulation (EU) 2025/40
- Applies from
- 12 August 2028
- Binds
- Manufacturers of the listed packaging formats
The technical specification for compostability is completed by a delegated act, and the very lightweight carrier bag case depends on national rules.
Which formats are actually caught
Single-serve tea, coffee and similar units
Phases inRequired to be compostable
Permeable single-serve units for tea, coffee or other beverage or food products, which end up mixed with the organic residue they contain.
Sticky labels attached to fruit and vegetables
Phases inRequired to be compostable
Because they travel with organic waste into biowaste collection.
Very lightweight plastic carrier bags
Phases inRequired to be compostable where a Member State mandates their use for biowaste
This one is conditional on national rules, so the answer differs by market and has to be checked per country.
All other packaging
In forceCompostability is optional and does not substitute for recyclability
Choosing a compostable material for packaging outside the listed formats does not exempt it from the recyclability regime.
Compostable is not biodegradable
The infrastructure problem
Compostable packaging only delivers an environmental outcome if it reaches industrial composting. In most Member States, the majority of it does not: it is sorted out as a contaminant in the plastics stream or lands in residual waste. That is precisely why the Regulation restricts the requirement to formats that unavoidably travel with organic waste, rather than encouraging compostability broadly.
What to hold in the file
For the listed formats, the Annex VII documentation should hold the compostability test evidence against the applicable standard, the specification of the conditions it was tested under, confirmation covering every component including inks and adhesives, and — for carrier bags — the national requirement being relied on. For anything else labelled compostable, hold the same evidence, plus a recyclability assessment, because the recyclability duty still applies.
Official sources for this page
Every statement above is written against these sources. Where a Commission document and the Regulation differ, the Regulation controls.
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — EUR-LexBinding law
- PPWR Implementation HubCommission guidance
- European Commission Harmonised StandardsTechnical standard
- CEN/CENELEC PPWR-relevant standardsTechnical standard
- Sources last verified
- 12 August 2026
- Content last updated
- 12 August 2026
- First published
- 12 August 2026
Written and maintained by the PPWRDeclaration.com editorial team. General information about Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — not legal advice.
Why this matters
What happens if the documentation isn't there
The packaging can be restricted
Packaging without valid technical documentation is treated as non-compliant. Market surveillance authorities can require corrective action, restrict sale, or withdraw it from the market.
Penalties apply per Member State
Each Member State sets its own penalties for non-compliance, and they apply where the packaging is placed on the market — not where your business sits.
Buyers block you first
Retailers, distributors and importers increasingly ask for the Declaration and supporting evidence before onboarding. No file usually means no listing.
Late evidence costs more
Supplier declarations and lab testing have long lead times. Discovering a gap close to a deadline forces rushed testing or packaging redesign.