The European Commission has added a fresh set of official Frequently Asked Questions to its guidance on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Phase 5 is the difference between passing one deadline and staying compliant through 2040.

Phase 4 is a monitoring phase, not an action phase, but that doesn't mean it can wait. A ten-year runway sounds generous until you consider that material substitution and infrastructure development happen on a similarly long timescale.

Phase 3 is where PPWR moves from documentation to physical change, redesigning packaging, renegotiating with suppliers, and in some cases exiting formats entirely.

Phase 2 of PPWR runs from 2027 to 2028 and shifts the focus from foundational data to how packaging communicates to consumers and recyclers: labelling, QR codes, and the first signals of the Design for Recycling (DfR) grading system that will determine market access from 2030 onward.

Deep dive into our PPWR-readiness checklist - everything you need to check before August 12th