Methodology and Fact-Checking: How Every Date, Target and Article Reference Is Sourced

Every date, target and article reference on PackagingRegulation.org is taken from a named primary source, first Regulation (EU) 2025/40 as published in the Official Journal (OJ L, 2025/40, 22.1.2025), and is cited with its article and the date it was last checked.

Every page explains the PPWR, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, from its primary sources; the method below applies to all of them.

Which Primary Sources Are PPWR Facts Checked Against?

Five kinds of primary source are used, in this order: the Official Journal and EUR-Lex, Commission guidance and FAQ, the European Parliament's Legislative Observatory (OEIL), national gazettes, and national competent authorities and registers.

EU law: the PPWR legal text in the Official Journal

The Official Journal text of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, CELEX 32025R0040, is the only source for what the PPWR requires; it has 71 articles and 13 annexes, entered into force on 11 February 2025 and applies generally from 12 August 2026 (Art. 71 PPWR).

The Regulation is not amended as of 24 October 2026, so the original text is the text in force. Corrigenda in the Official Journal are checked. Each article is set out in the PPWR legal text on this site,.

Commission guidance and the PPWR FAQ

Commission Notice C/2026/3084 (OJ C, 10.6.2026) and the Commission's PPWR FAQ are non-binding readings of the Regulation, so the site cites them as the Commission's view, never as law. Both documents are compared in PPWR guidance and FAQ.

Delegated acts, implementing acts and pending proposals

Acts are checked in the Official Journal and proposals in the Legislative Observatory: as of 24 October 2026 the only adopted PPWR delegated act is Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429 (OJ L, 2026/429, 6.5.2026), and no implementing act has been adopted. The status of each mandate is tracked in PPWR delegated acts and implementing acts.

National packaging laws, registers and authorities

National values come from the national gazette or the competent authority, for example the VerpackDG on gesetze-im-internet.de and the LUCID register of the Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister for Germany, or ADEME's SYDEREP register and Légifrance for France.

A Commission per-country summary is never used for a national status. Sources are named in national packaging laws, registers and authorities in the 27 Member States, and where a national implementing or adaptation act is unconfirmed, the page states only the national acts in force, as of 24 October 2026.

How Is Each Date, Target and Article Reference Checked?

Each value passes the same five checks before it is published, and a value that fails one of them is left out.

1. Read the value in the article of the Regulation.
2. Record the instrument, the article and the date.
3. Separate binding law from non-binding guidance.
4. Check the adoption status of every act the value depends on.
5. Date the statement.

How are application dates and deadlines written?

A date is written exactly as the article sets it, and a date that depends on a Commission act is written as "from X or N months after the act, whichever is later", never as a fixed date.

Packaging below recyclability grade C may not be placed on the market from 1 January 2030 or 24 months after the Art. 6(4) delegated acts, whichever is later. The harmonised material label applies from "12 August 2028 at the earliest", because the Art. 12(6) implementing acts are overdue and not adopted as of 24 October 2026., and every application date and deadline is listed with its article and condition.

How are targets and thresholds written?

Every target or threshold carries its unit, its article and its start date, for example at least 40 % reusable transport packaging from 1 January 2030 under Art. 29(1) PPWR. Values are copied from the article, never rounded or taken from a draft or proposal.

What happens when two sources disagree?

The Regulation wins: where Commission guidance or the FAQ differs from the text of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the page states the legal text and names the difference.

Where wording is at issue, the English text is quoted verbatim, as with Art. 12(9): "By 12 February 2027, packaging included in an EPR scheme may be identified ... only by means of a corresponding symbol in a QR code or other standardised, open, digital-marking technology". It is never turned into an application date.

What is left out until it is verified?

Nothing unconfirmed is written as fact: a value that only a press report, trade source or draft supports stays off the page until a primary source confirms it.

How Are Pending Acts and Proposals Labelled?

A proposal is labelled "proposed" with its procedure stage and date, and every statement that an act has not been adopted carries "as of 24 October 2026".

COM(2025) 982 (procedure 2025/0395(COD), proposal of 10 December 2025) would suspend Art. 45(3); the European Parliament adopted amendments on 20 October 2026 and referred the file back to committee, nothing is suspended, and Art. 45(3) applies since 12 August 2026. COM(2026) 590 (procedure 2026/0265(COD)) proposes to delete Art. 63; it is pending as of 24 October 2026 and Art. 63 remains law.

When Are PPWR Pages Rechecked and Updated?

A page is rechecked when a source it relies on changes: a delegated or implementing act appears in the Official Journal, a proposal moves to its next stage, the Commission revises its guidance or FAQ, or a national gazette or register publishes a new rule.

Each page shows its last-checked date, and changes to the law appear as PPWR news: dated updates.

How Does Fact-Checking Relate to Independence, Corrections and Contact?

The same sourcing rules apply whatever a page is about and whoever reads it, which is why independence, corrections and contact are set out beside this method.

Who publishes PackagingRegulation.org as an independent reference?

PackagingRegulation.org is published by its editorial team under the site name, and no person or company is named as author. Who runs this independent reference on the EU packaging regulation is set out on the about page. No provider pays for coverage or position, and providers are never named or ranked; the provider match passes requests to independent providers and does not change how a fact is written.

How are errors corrected under the editorial policy?

A reported error is checked against the primary source, corrected if the source confirms it, and the last-checked date changes. Independence and corrections are governed by the editorial policy.

How can readers contact PackagingRegulation.org about an error?

Errors and source questions go to editorial@packagingregulation.org, ideally with the page URL and the primary source that shows the correct value. Or use the form to contact PackagingRegulation.org.

Is PackagingRegulation.org legal advice?

No: the site explains what Regulation (EU) 2025/40 and the national rules say, and a case-by-case question about a specific product or company belongs with the competent authority or a qualified adviser.