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Information only, not legal or professional advice. Provided without responsibility, and no liability is accepted for reliance on it. Verify against the linked sources.

Packaging Rules CheckEU packaging rules for small sellers

Question

What's the difference between PPWR, EPR and GPSR?

Reviewed 2026-08-15

Short answer

Three separate regimes with three separate deadlines.

PPWR — Regulation (EU) 2025/40

  • About the packaging itself: what it is made of, how much you use, whether it can be recycled, and what it must not contain.
  • Applies from 12 August 2026. Harmonised labelling from 12 August 2028. Further targets 2030 and 2040.

National packaging EPR

  • Older than PPWR and separate from it.
  • Register in each country, report how much packaging you send, and pay towards recycling it.
  • Germany LUCID, France Citeo, Italy CONAI, Ireland Repak.

GPSR — Regulation (EU) 2023/988

  • Product safety, not packaging.
  • You need someone based in the EU responsible for the product, plus safety information on your listings and records you can trace.
  • In force since 13 December 2024 — this deadline has already passed.

UK pEPR

  • A fourth, completely separate scheme. Registering in the UK does nothing for the EU.

Selling to more than one country?

Registration is one per country, and the rules differ everywhere. Run the checker — it lists every registration your answers point to, in about two minutes.

Sources

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