According to participants at the first “Sustainability & Retail Summit”, organised by the German Trade Association (HDE), Minister Schneider indicated that he intended to advocate within the EU Environment Council for postponing the application of the PPWR from 12 August 2026 to 1 January 2027, delaying it for approximately four months. The BMUKN has subsequently clarified, however, that no such proposal is currently planned and that the Minister is distancing himself from these reports.
As VERE recently reported, parts of the business community had already expressed concerns about a possible postponement. Those concerns have now evolved into a coordinated industry response. More than 120 companies and associations from across the European packaging value chain have called on the EU institutions to proceed with implementation as planned and to reject any attempt to renegotiate the regulation adopted in 2024. The signatories argue that the PPWR was developed through the EU's ordinary legislative procedure and therefore represents both a politically legitimate and technically robust framework. Rather than reopening negotiations on the regulation itself, they call for policymakers to focus on adopting the outstanding secondary legislation needed to support implementation.
For the industry, regulatory certainty is essential to enable continued investment in recycling infrastructure, packaging innovation and circular business models. Businesses also emphasise the need to protect the billions of euros already invested in circular economy solutions, prevent fragmentation of the Single Market and provide reliable planning certainty across the entire packaging value chain.
Secondary legislation now takes centre stage
From an industry perspective, the greatest priority is now the timely adoption of the PPWR’s secondary legislation. These implementing and delegated acts will define many of the technical details required for practical application, including testing methodologies for recyclability and the calculation of recycled content, criteria for reusable packaging, as well as detailed definitions, reporting requirements and exemptions. Industry stakeholders are calling for these rules to be science-based, practical and developed in close consultation with businesses. Without these clarifications, companies face considerable uncertainty despite the fact that the regulation's implementation deadlines have already been established.
This uncertainty comes at a particularly challenging time. Businesses are simultaneously navigating geopolitical tensions, shifting global trade conditions and persistently high energy and raw material costs. Therefore, the industry argues that the transition to a circular economy must be underpinned by a stable, predictable and investment-friendly regulatory framework. The PPWR remains one of the central legislative pillars of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. Its requirements are extensive, including making all packaging recyclable by 2030, introducing minimum recycled content targets, expanding reusable packaging systems and reducing unnecessary packaging. Achieving these objectives will require fundamental changes across the entire packaging value chain.
Broad support for PPWR implementation – but outstanding questions remain
Although the majority of industry stakeholders oppose delaying the PPWR, several technical issues remain unresolved. These include possible adjustments to the regulation's PFAS provisions, ongoing questions regarding shrink-wrap and multipack requirements, and requests from some Member States for additional clarification on certain exemptions. While selective postponements have been discussed by the Federal Environment Minister and some individual stakeholders, much of the packaging industry maintains that the legal framework itself should not be reopened. Instead, attention should remain firmly focused on implementation and the rapid adoption of the necessary secondary legislation. For businesses, the pace of implementation is now becoming an increasingly important competitive factor. Investments in recyclable packaging, recycled content and innovative packaging design need to be made without delay. At the same time, companies warn that inconsistent national implementation or the introduction of additional national requirements could undermine the functioning of the European Single Market.
Although the date on which key provisions of the PPWR are scheduled to apply, 12 August 2026, was never regarded as an ideal implementation date because it falls partway through the calendar year, VERE takes a critical view of proposals to postpone the regulation. Even discussing a delay shortly before a long-established implementation deadline creates uncertainty for businesses. Experience from recent omnibus legislative procedures at the EU level has shown that retrospective changes to implementation timelines often generate additional transition costs, administrative complexity and planning challenges. Companies that have already aligned their investment decisions, operational processes and product strategies with the PPWR would be particularly affected. From VERE's perspective, postponing the regulation would weaken planning certainty and risk sending the message that early preparation offers little advantage over delaying compliance.
VERE e.V. remains in close contact with the relevant stakeholders and will continue to keep its members informed of further developments via the “VERE Insider”.
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