Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and small businesses: What do I need to know?
The European Commission published a factsheet “Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and small businesses: What do I need to know?” on 19 October 2026.
The factsheet explains the obligations already applicable to small businesses, how to identify their legal roles, and which exemptions and future requirements concern them.
Since 12 August 2026, the immediate requirements for manufacturers and importers have centred on conformity documentation covering heavy metal limits and PFAS limits for food-contact packaging, together with traceability; missing markings on packaging already produced may be supplied through accompanying documents or digital means.
The factsheet distinguishes the manufacturer responsible for packaging compliance from the producer responsible for EPR, clarifies that merely using unbranded transport packaging such as pallets does not make a business its manufacturer, and confirms that suppliers must provide the information and technical documentation needed by businesses that hold the manufacturer role.
Micro-enterprises may be exempt from manufacturer obligations where their packaging supplier is established in the EU and, separately, from EPR obligations where the packaging-material supplier is established in the same Member State; the proposed suspension of the EPR authorised-representative requirement remains under negotiation.
Further requirements will be phased in, including recyclability, packaging minimisation, labelling and reuse, with specific relief such as exemptions for micro-enterprises from reuse targets and takeaway reuse-offer obligations, and proportionate EPR reporting for businesses placing less than 1,000 kg of packaging on the market annually.