Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation published

On 22 January, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC (Text with EEA relevance) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The Regulation will enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication (11/02/2025) and shall apply from 12 August 2026.

Under Annex V of the Regulation is a list of certain packaging formats to be prohibited, some of which under Point 1 and Point 4 of Annex V have been of concern to FRUCOM members. The Regulation stipulates in Article 25 that “By 12 February 2027, the Commission shall publish guidelines, in consultation with Member States and the European Food Safety Authority, which explain Annex V in more detail, including examples of the packaging formats in scope, and any exemptions from the restrictions, and provide a non-exhaustive list of fruits and vegetables that are excluded from point 2 of Annex V.”

More information: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj

Contact: Lebo Mofolo, lmofolo@frucom.eu