New EU packaging requirements worry exporters
Philippine exporters to the European Union (EU) are bracing for a new set of regulations aimed at strengthening packaging sustainability requirements that will minimize waste but raise the cost of doing businesses.
Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. on Tuesday told the Inquirer that the EU Regulation 2025/40 or the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) would hit small exporters the most.
“What’s bad is that not everyone may be in the position to comply, especially small businesses; if it raises their expenses, [it will make] them uncompetitive,” Ortiz-Luis said in a phone interview.
“We cannot just shut [down] what we have now because we have inventories of packaging,” he said further.
The new regulation had entered into force last Feb. 11, according to an advisory issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) dated March 3. It replaces Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste and aligns with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan.
The DTI said that the new regulation harmonizes the current packaging laws of various EU member economies, while mitigating and preventing the adverse effects of packaging and packaging waste on human health and the environment.
Full implementation
The PPWR would be applicable starting Aug. 12, 2026, giving stakeholders an 18-month transition period to adhere to the new regulations, said the DTI.
Implementation will be rolled out in phases over the next 15 years with specific criteria and methodologies related to packaging to be established by the European Commission by Jan 1, 2028.
By Jan 1, 2030, all packaging sold in the EU must be recyclable, with minimum recycled content requirements for plastics.
Packaging recyclability of less than 70 percent will be considered as technically non-recyclable, and its placing on the market will be restricted.
Reusable packaging will be exclusively used for transport packaging between different sites of the same business or between different businesses within the same EU country during the same year.
Grouped packaging must also have at least 10 percent reusable packaging by 2030 and at least 25 percent by 2040.
By 2038, packaging may only be placed in the EU market if it meets the higher recyclability grades.
“Philippine exporters to the EU are strongly advised to ensure that their packaging materials are recyclable, reusable, and have the necessary proportion of recycled content in order to comply with the new EU PPWR,” the DTI said in its advisory.
“Packaging weight and volume should be kept to a minimum, labels should be updated to reflect material composition and recycling guidelines and hazardous materials,” added the government agency.
According to late February data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s exports to the EU totaled $747.34 billion in January, accounting for 11.7 percent of the total.
