Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in the operational phase

One year after the PPWR entered into force and introduced harmonised rules across the EU on packaging design, recycling, reuse and recycled content, the focus has now shifted to the technical implementing acts, which will define the details that will have a concrete impact on companies starting as early as next year.

What does this mean? The European Commission is preparing precise design criteria (the so-called design for recycling), recyclability requirements, clearer and more standardised labelling, and greater traceability of packaging throughout the entire supply chain, including its end-of-life management.

To begin with, the materials used will change. Above all, packaging will have to meet new requirements in terms of weight reduction, favouring ultra-light solutions. This means that the regulation will directly impact the very structure of packaging: complex laminated films and solutions incompatible with existing recycling systems will gradually disappear. Plastic will remain dominant, but it will be:

• thinner
• more recyclable
• more standardised

The deadline by which all packaging placed on the market must be recyclable remains 2030, but the transition has already begun. As the PPWR enters its operational phase, pressure on packagers to adapt their packaging is becoming increasingly real. The shift towards mono-material solutions is now underway.

France is certainly leading this trend, anticipating the solutions required by the PPWR by applying a system that will soon be extended across Europe, where the cost of packaging depends on:

• recyclability
• recycled content
• compatibility with the circular economy

Not only will new solutions need to be developed to reduce material usage, but machines will also need to handle mono-materials and lighter, more delicate or less stable materials more effectively.

Furthermore, the PPWR encourages the standardisation of packaging itself (as well as labelling) to facilitate recycling and reuse. Less variety in packaging, therefore, but higher volumes per format. This is where productivity, operational continuity and machine reliability become even more critical.

It is within this context that the fourth generation of the Puma Thermosealing netting machine was developed. Puma 4th generation has been designed to further improve the operational continuity of the previous version, reducing downtime and optimising workflow:

• the tube can be replaced without stopping the machine
• cooling water and handle can be refilled externally
• the machine has no doors and is equipped with safety barriers, ensuring faster and easier access

Puma 4th generation ensures not only speed, but a steady, uninterrupted production rhythm.

The result? The same as always: P-Pack, the lightest thermosealed PE net on the market, made with 50% less plastic compared to the similar solutions currently available.

Puma 4th generation and P-Pack represent a concrete response to a change already in motion. The PPWR marks a paradigm shift that will progressively redefine packaging standards for the fresh produce sector across Europe. While it introduces new requirements in terms of packaging design and recyclability, it also accelerates an evolution already underway, where material efficiency and compatibility with the circular economy are becoming central factors.

In this scenario, the role of packaging machinery becomes even more strategic: no longer simply a tool for packaging, but a solution designed to ensure operational continuity, precision, and full compatibility with new material requirements. Preparing today means not only complying with future regulations, but also seizing the opportunity to make processes more efficient, sustainable and competitive in the long term.