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PPWR — Article 6

The article's text

Article 6 Recyclable packaging 1. All packaging placed on the market shall be recyclable. 2. Packaging shall be considered to be recyclable if it fulfils the following conditions: (a) it is designed for material recycling, which enables the use of resulting secondary raw materials that are of sufficient quality when compared to the original material that they can be used to substitute primary raw materials, in accordance with paragraph 4; and (b) when it becomes waste, it can be collected separately in accordance with Article 48(1) and (5), sorted into specific waste streams without affecting the recyclability of other waste streams and recycled at scale, on the basis of the methodology set out in accordance with paragraph 5 of this Article. streams and recycled at scale, on the basis of the methodology set out in accordance with paragraph 5 of this Article. Packaging that is in compliance with the delegated acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 shall be deemed to comply with the condition set out in point (a) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph. Packaging that is in compliance with the delegated acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 and the implementing acts adopted pursuant
full text
to paragraph 5 shall be deemed to comply with the conditions set out in the first subparagraph of this paragraph. Point (a) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall apply from 1 January 2030 or 24 months from the date of entry into force of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 4, whichever is the latest. into force of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 4, whichever is the latest. Point (b) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall apply from 1 January 2035 or, as regards the recycled-at-scale requirement, from 1 January 2035 or five years from the date of entry into force of the implementing acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 5, whichever is the latest. from the date of entry into force of the implementing acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 5, whichever is the latest. 3. The manufacturer shall assess packaging recyclability on the basis of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to in paragraph 4 of this Article and the implementing acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 5 of this Article. Packaging recyclability shall be expressed in the recyclability performance grades A, B or C as described in Table 3 of Annex II. Without prejudice to paragraph 10, from 1 January 2030 or 24 months from the entry into force of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Article, whichever is the latest, packaging shall not be placed on the market unless it is recyclable within grades A, B or C as described in Table 3 of Annex II. Without prejudice to paragraph 10 of this Article, from 1 January 2038 packaging shall not be placed on the market unless it is recyclable within grades A or B as described in Table 3 of Annex II. shall not be placed on the market unless it is recyclable within grades A or B as described in Table 3 of Annex II. 4. By 1 January 2028, the Commission shall, after taking into consideration standards developed by the European standardisation organisations, adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 64 to supplement this Regulation by establishing: (a) design for recycling criteria and recyclability performance grades based on Table 3 of Annex II and the parameters listed in Table 4 of Annex II for packaging categories listed in Table 1 of Annex II; design for recycling criteria and recyclability performance grades shall be developed on the basis of the predominant material and shall: (i) take into account the ability of packaging waste to be separated into different material streams for recycling, sorted and recycled, so that the resulting secondary raw materials are of sufficient quality compared to the original material and can be used to substitute primary raw materials for packaging or other applications where the quality of the recycled material is retained, where feasible; (ii) consider established collection and sorting processes proven in an operational environment and cover all packaging components; (iii) take into account available recycling technologies, their economic and environmental performance, including the quality of the output, the availability of the waste, the energy needed and the emissions of greenhouse gases; (iv) where appropriate, identify substances of concern that negatively affect the re-use and recycling of materials in the packaging in which they are present; (v) where appropriate, impose restrictions on the presence of substances of concern, or of groups of such substances, in packaging or packaging components for reasons not relating primarily to chemical safety; such restrictions may also serve to reduce unacceptable risks to human health or the environment, without prejudice to the restrictions on chemicals set out in Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 or, where applicable, the restrictions and specific measures on food-contact materials and articles in Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004; (b) how to perform recyclability performance assessment and express its result in recyclability performance grades per packaging unit, in terms of weighting, including material-specific criteria and sorting efficiency, to determine whether packaging is to be considered recyclable under paragraph 2; (c) a description, for each packaging category listed in Table 1 of Annex II, of the conditions for compliance with their respective recyclability performance grades; (d) a framework concerning the modulation of financial contributions to be paid by producers to comply with their extended producer responsibility obligations set out in Article 45(1), based on the packaging recyclability performance grades. producer responsibility obligations set out in Article 45(1), based on the packaging recyclability performance grades. When adopting the delegated acts referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the Commission shall take into account the results of the assessment, if any, carried out pursuant to Article 5(2). The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 64 to amend Table 1 of Annex II in order to adapt it to the scientific and technical developments in material and product design, and in collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure. In those delegated acts, the Commission may lay down design for recycling criteria for additional packaging categories or create sub-categories within the categories listed in Table 1 of Annex II. for additional packaging categories or create sub-categories within the categories listed in Table 1 of Annex II. Economic operators shall comply with new or updated design for recycling criteria within 3 years of the date of entry into force of the relevant delegated act. 5. updated design for recycling criteria within 3 years of the date of entry into force of the relevant delegated act. 5. By 1 January 2030, the Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing: (a) the methodology for the recycled-at-scale assessment per packaging category listed in Table 2 of Annex II, supplementing Table 3 of Annex II with thresholds for the recycled-at-scale assessment and, if necessary, updating the overall recyclability performance grades described in Table 3 of Annex II; that methodology shall be based on at least the following elements: (i) quantities of packaging per packaging category listed in Table 2 of Annex II placed on the market in the Union as a whole and in each Member State; (ii) quantities of recycled packaging waste, as calculated at the calculation point in accordance with the implementing act adopted under Article 56(7), point (a), per packaging category listed in Table 2 of Annex II, in the Union as a whole and in each Member State; (b) the chain of custody mechanism ensuring that packaging is recycled at scale. as a whole and in each Member State; (b) the chain of custody mechanism ensuring that packaging is recycled at scale. The chain of custody mechanism referred to in point (b) shall be based on at least the following elements: (i) technical documentation referring to the quantity of collected packaging waste that is sent to sorting and recycling facilities; (ii) a verification process that allows manufacturers to obtain the necessary data from the downstream operators ensuring that packaging is recycled at scale. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 65(2). The data referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be available and easily accessible by the public. data referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be available and easily accessible by the public. 6. The Commission shall assess the granularity of data that need to be reported for the recycled-at-scale methodology. Where appropriate, the Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 64 to amend Table 2 of Annex II and Table 3 of Annex XII to adapt them to technical and scientific development. 7. By 2035, the Commission, on the basis of developments in sorting and recycling technologies, may review the minimum thresholds for packaging to be considered recycled at scale and, where appropriate, present a legislative proposal to revise the thresholds. to be considered recycled at scale and, where appropriate, present a legislative proposal to revise the thresholds. 8. In order to increase the level of recyclability of packaging, 18 months from the date of entry into force of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Article and implementing acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 5 of this Article, the financial contributions paid by producers in order to comply with their extended producer responsibility obligations as laid down in Article 45 shall be modulated in accordance with the recyclability performance grades, as set out in detail in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Article and the implementing acts adopted pursuant to paragraph 5 of this Article. Regarding financial contributions paid by producers in order to comply with their extended producer responsibility obligations as laid down in Article 45 in respect of packaging referred to in paragraph 11, point (g), of this Article, Member States shall take into account the technical feasibility and economic viability of recycling of that packaging. Member States shall take into account the technical feasibility and economic viability of recycling of that packaging. 9. Compliance with the requirements set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall be demonstrated in the technical documentation concerning the packaging as set out in Annex VII. Where a unit of packaging includes integrated components, the assessment of compliance with the design for recycling criteria and with the recycled-at-scale requirements shall include all integrated components. A separate assessment shall be carried out for integrated components that can become separated from each other as a result of mechanical stress during transportation or sorting. Where a unit of packaging includes separate components, the assessment of compliance with the design for recycling requirements and with the recycled-at-scale requirements shall be carried out separately for each separate component. All components of a unit of packaging shall be compatible with the established collection, sorting and recycling processes proven in an operational environment and shall not hinder the recyclability of the main body of the packaging unit. proven in an operational environment and shall not hinder the recyclability of the main body of the packaging unit. 10. By way of derogation from paragraphs 2 and 3, from 1 January 2030, innovative packaging that does not comply with the requirements under paragraph 2 may be made available on the market up to 5 years from the end of the calendar year in which it was placed on the market. Where use is made of this derogation, the economic operator shall notify the competent authority before the innovative packaging is placed on the market and shall include all technical details demonstrating that the packaging is innovative packaging. That notification shall include a timeline for reaching the recycled-at-scale requirements in terms of collection and recycling of the innovative packaging. for reaching the recycled-at-scale requirements in terms of collection and recycling of the innovative packaging. The information shall be made available to the Commission and the national authorities carrying out market surveillance. If the competent authority considers that the packaging is not innovative packaging, the economic operator shall comply with the existing design for recycling criteria. If the competent authority considers that the packaging is innovative packaging, it shall inform the Commission accordingly. The Commission shall assess requests by competent authorities in relation to innovative nature of packaging and update or adopt new delegated acts under paragraph 4 of this Article, as appropriate. The Commission shall monitor the impact of the derogation referred to in the first subparagraph on the quantity of packaging placed on the market. the impact of the derogation referred to in the first subparagraph on the quantity of packaging placed on the market. The Commission shall, where appropriate, present a legislative proposal with a view to amending that subparagraph. Member States shall continuously aim to improve collection and sorting infrastructures for innovative packaging with expected environmental benefits. aim to improve collection and sorting infrastructures for innovative packaging with expected environmental benefits. 11. This Article shall not apply to the following: (a) immediate packaging as defined in Article 1, point (23), of Directive 2001/83/EC and in Article 4, point (25), of Regulation (EU) 2019/6; (b) contact-sensitive packaging of medical devices covered by Regulation (EU) 2017/745; (c) contact-sensitive packaging of in vitro diagnostic medical devices covered by Regulation (EU) 2017/746; (d) outer packaging as defined in Article 1, point (24), of Directive 2001/83/EC and in Article 4, point (26), of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 in cases where such packaging is necessary to comply with specific requirements to preserve the quality of the medicinal product; (e) contact-sensitive packaging for infant formula and follow-on formula, processed cereal-based food and baby food, and food for special medical purposes as defined in Article 1, points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) No 609/2013; (f) packaging used for the transport of dangerous goods in accordance with Directive 2008/68/EC; (g) sales packaging made from lightweight wood, cork, textile, rubber, ceramic, porcelain or wax; however, paragraph 8 shall apply to such packaging. lightweight wood, cork, textile, rubber, ceramic, porcelain or wax; however, paragraph 8 shall apply to such packaging. 12. By 1 January 2035, the Commission shall review the exceptions under paragraph 11, taking into account at least the evolution of sorting and recycling technologies and practical experience gained by the economic operators and Member States. On that basis, the Commission shall assess the appropriateness of the continuation of those exceptions and, where appropriate, present a legislative proposal.

What it demands, and from when

Dates parsed from the article's own text. Click a date to ask about it.

Who tried to change it in committee

Committee-stage amendments targeting exactly this article, by political group. Justifications verbatim, in the authors' own words.

GroupAmendments
ID302
PPE258
Renew71
—56
S&D48
ECR45
Verts/ALE11
The Left4
NI4

Source: the committee amendment documents. n = 228 amendments targeting this article.

Grace O'Sullivan — Article 6 – paragraph 1
The deadline with regard to recyclability should be set from the outset.
Róża Thun und Hohenstein, Frédérique Ries, Catherine Chabaud, Martin Hojsík — Article 6 – paragraph 1
More clarity is required.
Pernille Weiss — Article 6 – paragraph 1
See justification for Amendment to Article 26 – paragraph 12 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part.

What plenary voted on this article

Every vote on this article's amendments, from the voting-results minutes. The bar shows the split; hover for exact counts.

Amfor/against/abstainedLT votesGroups
415adopted313/303/9Am 415: +313 / −303 / ~95↑ 4↓PPE 129–3 ECR 60–0 ID 41–3 NI 20–10 — 39–34 The Left 1–29
88adopted—
514lapsed—
89adopted—
515lapsed—
516rejected—
93adopted—
369adopted528/74/23Am 369: +528 / −74 / ~23
454rejected275/283/61Am 454: +275 / −283 / ~614↑ 5↓PPE 126–5 ID 43–0 ECR 32–0 NI 16–14 The Left 11–14 — 33–38
114adopted—
517lapsed—
392adopted—
115adopted—
358rejected—

Source: the European Parliament's voting-results minutes. n = 14 votes on this article; 'LT votes' is how many Lithuanian members voted for/against in that vote (from roll-call records; not every vote is a roll-call).

Who wrote about this article in the consultations

Filers who named this exact article number in their own text. It is their sentence, not our reading — and not a causal claim.

132
business association
26
company
14
NGO
6
other
3
EU citizen
WhoCountryWhat they wrote
IKG crewshop24.comDEof concern, as a first step, and their limitation, if they are relevant for recycling, via the DfR criteria, to be adopted under Article 6(4) PPWR, or via the update of REACH restrictions for substances that affect human health or the environment. The identif ↗
CNSBII - Corpo Nazionale delle Sentinelle dei Bacini idrografici ItalianiIT2026/1425 della Commissione, calcolato conformemente all’articolo 6 della medesima decisione di esecuzione (in kg) 2.6. Percentuale di materiale proveniente dai rifiuti di plastica post-consumo quali definiti all’articolo 1, punto 2), per il quale tutte le fas ↗
Silliker IbericaESer Art. 3(15)(a), large adhesive labels applied at processing plants or retail stores create technical challenges: Recyclability (Art. 6): Large labels covering significant surface area or using non-washable adhesives/dark inks can disrupt NIR optical sorting ↗
Antero CarvalhoPTNOMENCLATURE. The 23 categories reproduce Table 1 of Annex II to the basic act, expressly an "indicative list ... referred to in Article 6" drawn up for recyclability assessment. Article 44(14) empowered the Commission to specify its own categories, so reuse ↗
BDE Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und KreislaufwirtschaftDEare already generally designed in line with “Design for Recycling” principles in accordance with Article 6 of the PPWR. As a result, the materials used are kept in the material cycle with relatively low technical and energetic effort. By contrast, designing pa ↗
European Plastics Converters (EuPC)BE, the reusable alternatives assessed are not recyclable under current conditions, despite recyclability being a requirement under Article 6 of the PPWR, which raises additional concerns regarding their regulatory suitability. Taken together, these technical, s ↗
ANAIPES- The reusable alternatives assessed are not recyclable under current conditions, despite recyclability being a requirement under Article 6 of the PPWR, which raises additional concerns regarding their regulatory suitability. Furthermore, the impossibility of ↗
KUNSTSTOFF.Swiss - Swiss Plastics AssociationCHsstabilität bieten. Diese wiederverwendbaren Alternativen sind derzeit auch nicht recycelbar, obwohl die Recyclingfähigkeit gemäß Artikel 6 PPWR vorgeschrieben ist. Diese Einschränkung wird in der Deloitte-Studie anerkannt. 2. Klarstellung zum Anwendungsbereic ↗
EUROPEN, The European Organisation for Packaging and the EnvironmentBEclosure breaches. They act as a deterrent, make theft more difficult, and provide evidence of tampering. Substituting them 13 See Article 6 of Council Directive (89/391/EEC), EUR-Lex - 01989L0391-20081211 - EN - EUR-Lex 14 See the section on automatisation cha ↗
EssensciaBEnmentally sound solution. Reusable alternatives are also not recyclable under current conditions, contrary to the requirements in Article 6 of the PPWR. Despite the proposed Delegated Decision, significant economic burdens remain because pallet wrappings and s ↗
European Plastic FilmsBEition, the reusable alternatives assessed are not recyclable under current conditions, despite recyclability being required under Article 6 PPWR, raising further concerns regarding their regulatory suitability. Taken together, these safety, technical and regul ↗
IK Industrievereinigung KunststoffverpackungenDEle level of load-unit stability. These reusable alternatives are also not recyclable today, although recyclability is required by Article 6 PPWR, and this limitation is acknowledged in the Deloitte study. 2. ↗
IKEM - Innovation and Chemical Industries in SwedenSEof the delegated acts to allow economic operators to adapt to the new criteria before applying the recyclability assessment under Article 6. According to Article 6(4), 6(11) and 7(6), the recyclability performance grade is proposed to be the basis for the fina ↗
Gemeinschaft Papiersackindustrie e.V.DEimitations. as appropriate, identify the specific substance concerned and their associated criteria and limitations. Amendment 25 Article 6 – paragraph 3 Recycl The packaging shall, from 1 Janu- ary 2030, comply with the design for recycling criteria as l ↗
Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)USems; however, the proposed PPWR offers no structured plan by which to meet these requirements. These requirements, as well as the Article 6 requirement that packaging be “recycled at scale,” will likely result in a de facto ban on almost all packaging currentl ↗
Confederation of Swedish EnterpriseSEre for col- lection, sorting and recycling must cover, or be available to, at least 75 percent of the EU population. In addition, Article 6.2 states that this level of coverage should be achieved by 2035 and should then become a binding requirement for placing ↗
EUROFER, The European Steel AssociationBEand reducing waste. But the value of this role can be obscured by the impact of poor recyclability and ineffective recycling. a) Article 6, paragraph 2 subparagraph 1 - point d: APEAL believes that Packaging shall be considered recyclable when it (a) it is de ↗
Wirtschaftskammer ÖsterreichATing technologieoffen formuliert wird. Gerade aber die Ermächtigung der EU–Kommission zur Erlassung von delegierten Rechtsakten in Art 6 Abs 4 (Rechtsakte betreffend „Design for Recycling“ und Rechtsakte betreffend die Regeln für die Modulation der finanziellen ↗
Wirtschaftsvereinigung Alkoholfreie Getränke e.V.DEh mit Blick auf die Planungs- und Investitionssicher- heit für die Unternehmen. Zu den Kriterien für die Recyclingfähigkeit führt Artikel 6 Absatz 4 aus: „Design-for-recycling criteria shall consider state of the art collection, sorting and recycling processes ↗
Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.DEbels with adhesives that are difficult to dissolve, e.g. for glass bottles. » Furthermore, the option for 'innovative packaging' (Art. 6[9]) to comply neither with the 'design for recycling' nor with the 'recycling at scale' criteria for up to five years after ↗
Sulapac OyFIPWR to support the producers of alternative materials: 1. Recognize the recyclability of biobased & biodegradable packaging under Article 6 instead of Article 8. 2. Distinguish sustainable packaging made with biodegradable natural polymers as a separate group ↗
EsPlásticosESon. To ensure consistency, any restriction on substances should be done under the framework and processes addressed in the REACH. Article 6 Recyclable packaging (1) All packaging shall be recyclable All packaging shall be recyclable from 1st of January 2030 To ↗
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de EspañaEScontent and recycled content in the new proposal. Regarding specific provisions, we call for the revision of Art. 6, para 9, to remove the limitation period of five years imposed on innovative products, which will do nothing but hinder and disincentivise innov ↗
The Polish Union Of the Cosmetics IndustryPLIt is therefore necessary to ensure clarity of the requirements well in advance of the 2030 deadline. COM TEXT PROPOSED AMENDMENT Art. 6 (8) Compliance with the requirements set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 shall be demonstrated in the technical documentation con ↗
The Global Organization for PHA (GO!PHA)NLing pathways based on established waste management norms. 3. Composting is carbon recycling that must be acknowledged in the PPWR Article 6 lists requirements for the recyclability of packaging materials at scale. However, compostable materials are not referen ↗
Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE)BEdered, especially in cases where the packed substances/mixtures are/contain SoCs and mechanical recycling would not be an option. Art. 6 Recyclable packaging: ➢ We welcome the introduction of an EU-wide and clear definition of ‘recyclable packaging’ and the pr ↗
AmcorBEJanuary 2026 as the deadline for the adoption of EU design for recycling criteria under Article 6 paragraph 4. Furthermore, we note that industry design-for-recycling guidelines are not represented as a source for the European Commission to proceed with the ad ↗
Metal Packaging EuropeBEe considered highly recyclable. In this perspective, MPE requests the introduction of criteria for highly recyclable packaging in Article 6. Based on the elements above and the explicit reference to “high-quality recycling” in Article 43 of the proposal, MPE a ↗
AIM, European Brands AssociationBEnecessary actions through an urgency procedure and the targets set out in Articles 7(1) and 7(2) shall be suspended.  Article 6 - Recyclable packaging Establishing a clear timeline for the application of the recyclability requirements, while ensuring the invo ↗
Hospodářská komora ČR (Czech Chamber of Commerce)CZna případně nutnou změnu technologie balení, odpadové firmy se zase nemohou připravit na to, které obaly budou obsaženy v odpadu. Art. 6(6). o Komise může kdykoli svým delegovaným aktem omezit, či zakázat, použití libovolného obalu, pokud by to napomohlo preve ↗

Source: public consultation submissions and position papers. n = 189 mentions; counted as a literal reference to the article number.

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