PPWR Packaging Rules: What Online Stores Need to Know

What is the PPWR?

The PPWR is the European regulation covering packaging and packaging waste. Its objective is to reduce the amount of packaging produced and ultimately discarded as waste, improve the recyclability of packaging, and establish a more harmonised regulatory framework across the European Union.

The regulation is not limited to plastic bags or food packaging. It covers virtually all packaging placed on the European market, including boxes, cardboard packaging, protective plastic materials and packaging used for e-commerce shipments.

The European Commission states that the new framework covers the entire life cycle of packaging, from its design and placement on the market through to its collection and recycling.

Where can you find the official text?

The PPWR is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council . To follow the legislative process, you can use the European Parliament's page dedicated to the relevant legislative file.

View the PPWR on the European Parliament

For the full legal text and the exact provisions of the regulation, you should also consult the official publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Why does the PPWR affect online stores?

One of the most direct connections with e-commerce is through what is known as e-commerce packaging : packaging used to ship products purchased through online stores.

Let's take a simple example. A customer purchases a laptop, mobile phone or pair of headphones from an online store. The product may already have its own retail packaging. However, the store places the product inside a second box for shipping, adds protective material and then hands the package over to the courier company.

This external shipping packaging falls within the scope of the new framework, meaning that the e-commerce business needs to assess which requirements apply to it.

The most important change for e-commerce: empty space

One of the provisions of particular importance to online retailers concerns excessive empty space in packaging.

The Regulation provides that, no later than 1 January 2030 , or three years after the entry into force of the relevant implementing acts of the European Commission, whichever is later, the maximum empty-space ratio for certain categories of packaging, including e-commerce packaging, will be 50% .

In simple terms, an online store will not be able to use a box that is significantly larger than necessary for the product, leaving a large portion of the box empty.

What is considered empty space?

There is an important detail here. For the purpose of calculating the empty-space ratio, a box is not considered "full" simply because it contains protective materials.

Materials such as:

• air pillows,
• bubble wrap,
• foam materials,
• polystyrene chips,
• paper used as filler,
• other protective and filling materials

are treated as empty space for the purposes of this particular calculation.

This means that simply replacing a large empty box with the same box filled with a large amount of packaging material is not necessarily a solution.

Important: the 50% rule does not apply from 2026

It is important not to create the impression that, from 12 August 2026, all online stores must already have adapted their shipments to comply with the 50% rule.

This particular requirement applies at a later stage. In addition, the European Commission still needs to establish the methodology for calculating the empty-space ratio. The Regulation provides that the relevant implementing act should be adopted by 12 February 2028 .

Therefore, 2026 is the right time for an e-commerce business to start preparing, rather than assuming that the 50% rule is already in force.

What should an online store do now?

The right approach is not to wait until 2029 before changing your packaging. An e-commerce business that wants to be prepared should start by creating a complete inventory of the packaging it currently uses.

1. Record all shipping packaging

Create a list of all boxes and other packaging materials used for shipments.

For each type of packaging, it is useful to record:

• internal and external dimensions,
• the material it is made from,
• its weight,
• which products it is used for,
• which protective materials are placed inside.

2. Check whether you are using oversized boxes

Many e-commerce businesses use only a few standard box sizes for all their products. This can be convenient for warehouse operations, but it can also create significant amounts of empty space.

If a 10-centimetre product is regularly shipped in a 30-centimetre box, it is worth considering whether a more appropriately sized box could be used.

3. Review your protective materials

Product protection remains essential. The PPWR does not mean that protective materials should simply be eliminated and products allowed to arrive damaged.

The objective is to use the type and amount of material that is genuinely necessary to ensure safe transportation.

4. Work with your suppliers

If you purchase products from manufacturers or importers, ask them for information about the packaging used for the products you purchase.

It is particularly important to establish which economic operator is responsible for each category of packaging and which obligations apply to the manufacturer, importer, distributor or the e-commerce business itself.

5. Review your EPR obligations

The PPWR is closely linked to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) , meaning the responsibility of obligated businesses for the management of packaging waste.

Whether a business is considered a "producer" does not simply depend on whether it manufactured the product itself. Its status and obligations need to be assessed based on its role in the supply chain and the specific type of packaging involved.

This is particularly important for European e-commerce businesses that import products from third countries, use their own packaging or sell products under a private-label brand.

What about the product's own packaging?

It is important not to confuse shipping packaging with the product's retail packaging.

For example, the box of a mobile phone or the retail packaging of an electronic product may constitute sales packaging, while the larger cardboard box used by an e-commerce business to ship the product to the customer may constitute e-commerce or transport packaging, depending on the circumstances.

The relevant obligations do not always fall on the same party. In some cases, the manufacturer or importer of the packaging or product may be responsible, while in others there may be obligations for the economic operator that uses or fills the packaging.

Recyclability and materials

The PPWR is not limited to the size of boxes. The regulation also introduces requirements concerning packaging design, recyclability and the use of materials.

From 2030 onwards, significant requirements will apply to packaging recyclability and the use of recycled plastic in plastic packaging, among other measures. The exact requirements depend on the type of packaging and the material used.

For an e-commerce business, this means that it is worth knowing not only how much a box costs, but also what it is made of and how it can be managed at the end of its useful life.

Packaging labelling

The new regulation also introduces harmonised requirements concerning packaging labelling and the sorting of packaging waste.

Since a number of details depend on implementing acts adopted at European Union level, an e-commerce business should not arbitrarily add new labels assuming that these already represent the final form of mandatory EU labelling requirements.

A better approach is to monitor the final requirements and their implementation dates before making large-scale changes to packaging.

PPWR timeline: 2026 to 2030

A practical example for an electronics e-commerce store

Let's assume that an online store sells mobile phones, tablets and accessories.

For a mobile phone, the store may currently use a large box because the same box is also used for larger products. Inside, it places bubble wrap and a considerable amount of paper to prevent the product from moving during transportation.

Proper preparation for the PPWR would involve checking:

1. whether that particular box size is actually necessary,
2. whether more box sizes could be introduced,
3. whether protective material could be reduced without increasing damage rates,
4. whether the materials used are suitable for recycling,
5. who is responsible for the relevant packaging,
6. which information and records need to be maintained regarding quantities and materials.

This approach allows the business to adapt gradually rather than making abrupt changes when the deadline arrives, while potentially reducing both packaging and shipping costs.

PPWR checklist for an online store

An e-commerce business can start with the following checklist:

• Record all types of boxes and packaging currently in use.
• Record the dimensions and weight of each type of packaging.
• Record all filling and protective materials used.
• Check for unnecessarily large packaging.
• Measure and monitor the actual empty space in shipments.
• Determine who is responsible for each category of packaging.
• Review EPR obligations in the relevant EU Member State.
• Collect packaging information from suppliers and manufacturers.
• Check the recyclability of the materials used.
• Monitor new implementing acts and guidance issued by the European Commission.
• Plan changes to packaging sizes and materials well before 2030.

What should an e-commerce business owner take away from the PPWR?

The PPWR does not mean that all online stores have to throw away their existing boxes and immediately purchase new ones. Its implementation is gradual, and several details will be further specified through subsequent European implementing acts.

What makes sense to do now is to build a complete picture of your store's packaging. How many boxes do you use? How large are they? How much protective material do they require? What materials do they contain? Who is responsible for them? And which packaging types are likely to be affected by the upcoming requirements?

The earlier this assessment is carried out, the easier the transition will be. Particularly for an e-commerce business handling a high volume of orders, moving to smaller and better-sized boxes can have a double benefit: helping prepare for the new European framework while also potentially reducing material and shipping costs.