The packaging regulation, sector by sector
The regulation is not a sector-specific rule: Article 2 applies it to all packaging, regardless of the material used and the context in which it is used. The requirements, however, do not weigh the same on every sector.
These pages line up what matters most for each sector, and link back to the regulatory pages for the detail of the article.
Packaging Regulation in the food sector: what applies
Art. 5 · Annex VFood undertakings are subject to all the general requirements of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 and, in addition, to two rules that concern contact with food specifically: the three PFAS limits, applicable from 12 August 2026, and the format bans in Annex V, applicable from 1 January 2030.
Packaging regulation and online sales: the obligations of those who ship
Arts. 24 and 12Under Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the box used to ship the product is packaging with its own definition, and whoever places it on the market under its own name answers for it as manufacturer. The documentary obligations apply from 12 August 2026; the format restrictions arrive from 2030.
Packaging regulation in the cosmetics sector: what changes
Annex V, point 5Packaging intended for cosmetic products falls within the definition of contact-sensitive packaging, and this determines the recycled-content percentages applicable from 2030. From 12 August 2026, meanwhile, the documentary obligations and the heavy metals limit apply.
Packaging regulation in retail and distribution: banned formats and reuse targets
Arts. 24, 25 and 29For distribution, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 affects two areas: the formats that can no longer be placed on the market from 1 January 2030, and the share of transport packaging that must be reusable from the same date. The documentary obligations, on the other hand, already apply from 12 August 2026 to whoever places goods on the market under its own trademark.
Packaging regulation in food service and takeaway
Arts. 32-33 · Annex VThe hospitality, food service and catering sector has three deadlines of its own, ahead of the format bans: the system for consumer-brought containers by 12 February 2027, the reusable option by 12 February 2028, and the Annex V bans from 1 January 2030.
Packaging regulation in the beverage sector
Art. 50 · Art. 7The beverage sector is the only one for which the regulation sets a collection target with a precise percentage: 90% a year, by weight, of single-use plastic bottles and single-use metal containers up to three litres, by 1 January 2029. Deposit and return systems follow from that target.
Packaging regulation in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector
Art. 6(11)The regulation contains express exclusions for the primary packaging of medicinal products and for contact-sensitive packaging of medical devices, but they concern only recyclability and recycled content. The documentary obligations and the substance limit remain due, from 12 August 2026, as for any other packaging.