From August 12, every company from Of Serbia which places packaged goods on the market European Union (EU) will have to prove that its packaging meets the new, unique European standard.
Regulation (EU) 2025/40, better known as PPWR, is one of the most significant regulatory changes for domestic exporters in the past few years, writes the Biznis portal.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) replaces the old Packaging Directive 94/62/EC, which was in force since 1994.
The new rules cover almost all types of packaging, regardless of the material from which they are made and the country of origin of the product, and the key difference is not only in the content but also in the legal form: it is a regulation, not a directive, which means that the same rules, without any translation into national legislation, are applied identically in all EU member states from the same day.
This is important for Serbian companies because the PPWR does not distinguish between producers from the EU and those outside it - anyone who "puts packaging on the Union market", including exporters from Serbia, is treated as a producer and subject to the same obligations as a company from Germany or France.
Which provisions are effective immediately
The regulation formally entered into force in February 2025, but its general application begins on August 12, 2026. However, a good part of the obligations is phased in until 2040.
Among the obligations of exporters that apply immediately is that any company not based in the Member State to which it exports must appoint a local authorized person in charge of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) - and separately, for each Member State, without the possibility of a single registration for the whole EU.
Also, for each type of packaging, it is necessary to conduct a conformity assessment, issue a declaration of conformity and ensure the traceability of the packaging throughout the entire supply chain.
There are also limit values that amount to 25 ppb (parts per billion) for an individual targeted PFAS substance, 250 ppb for the sum of those substances and 50 ppm for total organic fluorine. The restriction applies to all packaging that comes into contact with food, without exception for already produced supplies.
Obligations that come into force immediately are:
- Registration in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system in each Member State where the goods are sold, with payment of fees according to national schemes.
- The first restrictions on certain forms of single-use plastic packaging and the first minimum percentages of recycled content for certain categories of plastic packaging.
- Limiting empty space in e-commerce shipments to a maximum of 40 percent, except when technically unavoidable - especially important for businesses selling directly to consumers in the EU.
The greatest pressure will be felt by the food and beverage industry, due to PFAS restrictions and direct contact of packaging with food, followed by manufacturers of cosmetics and household chemicals, as well as companies from the plastic and paper packaging sector that supply exporters.
Secondarily, the regulation also affects everyone who sells goods to end consumers in the EU through their own websites or stores, because the provisions on minimization of packaging and empty space also apply to transport and e-commerce packaging.
Companies will gradually be required to reduce the amount of unnecessary material, use recyclable packaging and increase the proportion of recycled raw materials. Stricter requirements regarding the composition, safety and labeling of packaging are also being introduced.
The PPWR is not a one-time milestone but a series of deadlines starting from August 2026 to 2040. For Serbian exporters, this practically means that compliance with the European market in the future will not depend only on the price and quality of the product, but also on how well the packaging in which the product reaches the customer in the EU is designed, documented and marked according to the rules, which from August will no longer be a recommendation, but a legal obligation.
Support program of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce
At the end of July, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce launched the Professional Support Program for the implementation of PPWR, primarily intended for small and medium-sized enterprises, in cooperation with the Swiss Export Promotion Program (SIPPO) and with the support of the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), within the third phase of the program, which lasts from 2026 to 2029.
PKS member companies have at their disposal free professional support and two digital tools for assessing packaging compliance, preparing technical documentation and drafting the EU declaration of conformity, along with instructions for proper labeling and registration in the relevant systems.
Source: Business
Only in August: Save three thousand dinars on the annual subscription to the digital edition of "Vremena"! Take advantage of the discount here and support independent journalism.
