Cross-border Sellers Must Complete Packaging ComplianceThe new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation(PPWR / EU 2025/40)will be officially fully enforced on August 12,2026,completely replacing the old Packaging Directive 94/62/EC.
It adopts unified standards across all 27 EU member states,directly applicable with no country exemptions.Amazon has issued official compliance reminders.Sellers without completed EPR registration and packaging testing will face product delisting,sales bans and account risk control.All cross-border sellers on EU marketplaces must achieve compliance in advance.
Recently,the EU PPWR new rule has gone viral in the cross-border industry. Many Amazon sellers still follow the old packaging regulation mindset, mistakenly regarding it as a regular environmental upgrade.In fact,this regulatory iteration has fundamentally rewritten EU packaging compliance rules,with comprehensive upgrades in supervision intensity,coverage scope and penalty standards.Even small and medium sellers with self-delivery or Pan-EU logistics are fully included in supervision.
PPWR stands for Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.https://www.huak-cer.com/certification-service/
It is a mandatory unified regulation launched by the EU to promote circular economy and reduce packaging waste,putting an end to the previous chaos of inconsistent national rules.
The old packaging rules were EU Directives,only setting general targets and allowing each member state to transpose into local law—resulting in different rules and registration systems in Germany,France,Spain and other countries.
PPWR is a formal EU Regulation with direct legal effect.All 27 EU countries follow identical standards without national secondary legislation,bringing stricter supervision,unified requirements and sharply higher non-compliance costs.
Any business placing packaged products on the EU market is covered, whether online/offline,B2C or B2B,including:Manufacturers,importers, distributors,retailers and cross-border sellers on platforms like Amazon.Amazon has explicitly named 9 core EU sites including Germany, France,Italy and Spain,requiring sellers to prioritize packaging law compliance.
The first batch of mandatory requirements takes effect on August 12,2026, with stricter rules rolled out year by year.Below are the official mandatory compliance indicators sellers must implement:
Immediate red-line requirements applicable to all packaging materials, mandatory for customs clearance and platform inspection:
Heavy metal limit: Total content of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium ≤ 100 mg/kg, applicable to all packaging categories;non-compliant goods will be denied entry directly.
Strict PFAS ban: Stricter control for food-contact packaging — single PFAS monomer ≤ 25 ppb, total monomers ≤ 250 ppb, total fluorine in polymer-containing PFAS ≤ 50 ppm. Non-food-contact packaging is also under strict PFAS restriction to avoid hidden non-compliance.
The new rule controls packaging environmental performance from the source, with rising recycled material ratios and graded recyclability thresholds; non-compliant packaging will be banned from sales:
Phased mandatory recycled plastic content:
Disposable plastic beverage bottles:≥30% by 2030,≥65% by 2040
PET food/cosmetic sensitive packaging: ≥30% by 2030,≥50% by 2040
Non-PET sensitive packaging:≥10% by 2030, ≥25% by 2040
Other plastic packaging:≥35% by 2030,≥65% by 2040
Graded recyclability control:
From 2030,packaging must reach Grade A/B/C with recyclability≥70%;
Grade C packaging will be phased out in 2038, leaving only Grade A/B compliant.
Packaging minimization:
Over-packaging will be fully prohibited from 2030. Void space,wall thickness and other indicators must follow unified EU calculation standards to eliminate oversized packaging and excessive filling.
Upgraded EPR Scheme: Companies must register separate EPR numbers in each target sales country, declare packaging data regularly and pay eco-recycling fees. Non-EU enterprises must appoint an EU-based authorized representative; no unified EU-wide EPR registration is accepted.
Unified Labelling & Traceability: From August 12, 2028, all packaging must mark material composition + recycling classification, with a QR code linked to full life-cycle data. Compostable packaging can only be marked Industrial Compost; marking Home Compost is strictly forbidden to prevent recycling system contamination.
Most non-compliance cases come from cognitive errors.Key pitfalls to watch out for:
EPR Registration: One-country registration cannot cover the whole EU.Separate registration is required for Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other target countries; Amazon requires uploading respective national registration numbers.
Recycled Material Exemption: Exemptions apply only to a few special scenarios such as sensitive contact packaging, compostable packaging and dangerous goods packaging. Ordinary e-commerce and industrial packaging have no exemption.
Self-declared Recyclability Is Invalid:Recyclability must be tested and certified per EU CEN standards to obtain official Grade A/B/C rating;self-claimed recyclability is not recognized.
Mixed Material Non-compliance:Multi-layer composite packaging that cannot be manually separated will be deemed non-recyclable and banned from sale starting 2030.Optimize packaging structure in advance.
Feb 12,2026:Unified technical specifications for compostable packaging released
Aug 12,2026(Core Effective Date):Full PPWR application;heavy metal limits,PFAS ban and basic packaging compliance take effect mandatorily
Feb 12,2028:Unified calculation standards for packaging minimization implemented
Aug 12,2028:Mandatory unified packaging material labelling
Jan 1, 2030:Full enforcement of packaging minimization, recycled plastic ratio and recyclability grading access rules
Amazon EU sites have aligned with regulatory requirements.Non-compliant products will face listing restrictions,FBA warehousing interception and mass delisting of existing listings.Platforms will not assume liability for sellers’non-compliance.
Do not underestimate supervision in the early stage—PPWR sets heavy penalties specifically for cross-border sellers:
Heavy fines: Up to 4%–6% of annual turnover for serious violations
Product disposal: Direct delisting & sales ban; FBA rejects inbound stock; detained or destroyed goods at customs
Store suspension:Severe or repeated violations lead to EU market access ban, with linked accounts affected permanently
Many sellers have already suffered cargo detention,fund freezing and full order losses due to old packaging rule non-compliance.PPWR brings far stricter supervision—do not take risks.
Sellers are recommended to sort out current packaging materials and target EU countries immediately,complete EPR registration and packaging testing for core sales markets as a priority,and finish full compliance before the regulation takes effect to avoid disrupting shipment and sales plans in the second half of the year.
If you have demands for packaging compliance and PPWR regulatory consulting,feel free to contact us anytime.Huak Testing supports your stable layout in the European market.
HUAK Testing(https://www.huak-cer.com/ covers an area of over 4,000 square meters, including EMC, RF, 5G NR/6G (RF), Safety, Physical, Battery, and Chemical testing laboratories. It supports a wide range of products—from consumer goods like mobile phones, computers, toys, apparel, footwear, and cosmetics, to industrial control equipment and smart home devices—helping clients meet global market access requirements. The company is equipped with internationally advanced professional testing equipment and has assembled an elite team of senior industry experts and technical professionals. Team members, with their solid professional knowledge and rich practical experience, are able to accurately interpret various complex standards and technical requirements. As a well-known third-party testing laboratory in China, HUAK has been recognized by many international organizations, including the China National Accreditation Service（CNAS） for Conformity Assessment and the US A2LA. HUAK Testing is also the designated testing and certification service provider for Amazon, and maintains close cooperation with internationally renowned notified bodies such as MICOM, element, MET, and Germany's PHOENIXTESTLAB GmbH.
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