PPWR Article 7 Recycled Content Targets for Plastic Packaging: 2030 and 2040 Percentages

Article 7 of the PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) requires the plastic part of packaging to contain at least 30 %, 10 %, 30 % or 35 % recycled content, depending on the packaging category, from 1 January 2030 at the earliest, rising to 50 %, 25 %, 65 % and 65 % from 1 January 2040. The 2030 start is conditional: it moves back if the Commission adopts its calculation methodology late, and that act is not adopted as of 24 October 2026. The 2040 date is fixed.

The recycled content must come from post-consumer plastic waste and is measured as an average per manufacturing plant and year, not per batch. The recycled content targets sit in Article 7 of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), among its sustainability requirements for packaging.

Compiled by the PackagingRegulation.org Editorial Team from the Regulation's text on EUR-Lex and the cited official sources; every value on this page is checked against EUR-Lex and Commission guidance, see our methodology and fact-checking.

The key facts of Art. 7 PPWR are summarised in the table below.

What Are the PPWR Recycled Content Targets for Plastic Packaging?

The PPWR recycled content targets are eight minimum percentages in Art. 7(1) and 7(2): four categories of plastic packaging, each with a 2030 value and a higher 2040 value. Each percentage is reached as an average per manufacturing plant and year, per packaging type and format listed in Annex II Table 1.

The table below sets out the four categories with their article points and the examples given by the Commission.

Which plastic packaging counts as contact-sensitive?

Contact-sensitive packaging is, under Art. 3(1)(49) PPWR, packaging intended for products covered by the EU rules on food contact, feed, cosmetics, medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices, medicinal and veterinary medicinal products, food supplements and dangerous goods transport, among others. The test is the product inside, not the polymer, so the same PET tray is contact-sensitive when it holds food and falls under the 35 % category when it holds screws. Cosmetics packaging is contact-sensitive: cosmetic primary plastic packaging gets 30 % (PET) or 10 % (other plastics) by 2030, never 35 %. Contact-sensitive packaging is one of the PPWR definitions in Art. 3(1).

Contact-sensitive PET packaging: 30 % and 50 %

Contact-sensitive plastic packaging made of PET, other than single-use plastic beverage bottles, needs 30 % recycled content under Art. 7(1)(a) PPWR and 50 % from 1 January 2040 under Art. 7(2)(a). The 30 % applies from 1 January 2030 at the earliest. PET drinks bottles have their own category.

Contact-sensitive packaging of other plastics: 10 % and 25 %

Contact-sensitive plastic packaging made of plastics other than PET needs 10 % recycled content under Art. 7(1)(b) PPWR and 25 % from 1 January 2040 under Art. 7(2)(b). The Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V, places beverage cartons in this category, so their plastic part needs 10 % in 2030.

Single-use plastic beverage bottles: 30 % and 65 %

Single-use plastic beverage bottles, meaning the beverage bottles of up to 3 litres listed in Part F of the Annex to Directive (EU) 2019/904, need 30 % recycled content under Art. 7(1)(c) PPWR and 65 % from 1 January 2040 under Art. 7(2)(c). The term does not cover every plastic bottle (Art. 3(1)(54)). The 25 % figure often quoted for PET bottles is the Single-Use Plastics Directive value for 2025, not a PPWR target.

All other plastic packaging: 35 % and 65 %

Plastic packaging outside the three contact-sensitive and bottle categories needs 35 % recycled content under Art. 7(1)(d) PPWR and 65 % from 1 January 2040 under Art. 7(2)(d). The Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V, gives pallet wrap as an example, at 35 % in 2030. The category covers the plastic part of transport and grouped packaging as well as non-sensitive sales packaging.

When Do the PPWR Recycled Content Targets Apply?

The 2030 percentages apply from 1 January 2030 or 3 years after the entry into force of the Art. 7(8) implementing act, whichever is later, so 1 January 2030 is the earliest possible start date. The trigger is the act on calculating and verifying recycled content, due by 31 December 2026: if it enters into force after 1 January 2027, the start moves back by the same period. Every date that depends on a Commission act is listed under PPWR application dates.

The 2040 percentages apply from 1 January 2040, a fixed date. Art. 7 itself has applied since 12 August 2026, the PPWR's general application date (in force since 11 February 2025), but as of 24 October 2026 no percentage has to be met yet.

Has the Commission adopted the Article 7(8) implementing act?

No: as of 24 October 2026 the Commission has not adopted the Art. 7(8) implementing act on calculating and verifying recycled content, due by 31 December 2026. Two related acts with the same deadline are not adopted either: the Art. 7(9) delegated act on sustainability criteria for plastic recycling technologies and the Art. 7(10) implementing act on the equivalence of third-country collection and recycling. As of 24 October 2026 the only adopted PPWR delegated act is Delegated Decision (EU) 2026/429, and no PPWR implementing act exists. Once the Art. 7(8) act is in force, Art. 7(11) requires calculation and verification to follow it from 1 January 2029 or 24 months after its entry into force, whichever is the latest. Every other mandate is tracked under PPWR delegated and implementing acts.

Does packaging placed on the market before the start date need recycled content?

No: the percentages apply to packaging placed on the market from the start date, and the Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V, states that there is no period for exhausting stocks of packaging that has been supplied but not yet placed on the market by then.

What Counts as Recycled Content under Article 7 PPWR?

Recycled content under Art. 7 PPWR must be recovered from post-consumer plastic waste, which Art. 3(1)(48) defines as plastic waste generated from plastic products placed on the market. Plastic itself is defined in Art. 3(1)(52) as a REACH polymer capable of functioning as a main structural component of packaging, with unmodified natural polymers excluded. The wording of the definition and of the targets is in Article 7 in the PPWR legal text.

Inks, adhesives and paints are not plastic in this sense and need no recycled content, according to the Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V. Bio-based plastic does not count towards the Art. 7 targets either.

For the average per manufacturing plant and year, a manufacturing plant is one industrial facility, the year is the calendar year, and the average is taken per manufacturer supplied (recital 41; the Commission's PPWR FAQ, section V). Neither "mass balance" nor "chemical recycling" appears in Regulation (EU) 2025/40: the method depends on the pending Art. 7(8) act. Methodology, mass balance and imported recyclate are explained under how recycled content is calculated and verified under the PPWR.

Can recyclate collected outside the EU count?

Yes, under conditions: Art. 7(3) PPWR counts post-consumer plastic waste collected in the EU, or in a third country with equivalent separate-collection standards, and recycled, where applicable, in an installation under Directive 2010/75/EU or an equivalent third-country installation. Which third countries meet that equivalence is for the Art. 7(10) implementing act, due by 31 December 2026 and not adopted as of 24 October 2026.

Who Must Prove Compliance with the PPWR Recycled Content Targets?

The manufacturer or the importer must demonstrate the recycled content share in the technical documentation drawn up under Annex VII, as Art. 7(6) PPWR requires. The documentation is part of the internal production control procedure of Art. 38 (Annex VII Module A): no notified body is involved, and the PPWR provides no CE marking and no recycled content certificate. The recycled content file is one part of wider PPWR compliance, and the plan there lists every operator duty.

Art. 15(3) PPWR requires the documentation to be kept for 5 years for single-use packaging and 10 years for reusable packaging. Art. 62(1)(n) PPWR lists non-compliance with Art. 7 as formal non-compliance, which leads to penalties under Art. 68 if it persists (Art. 62(3)).

Does the EU declaration of conformity cover recycled content?

Yes: the EU declaration of conformity under Art. 39 PPWR declares that the packaging meets the requirements that apply to it, so it includes Art. 7 once the percentages apply. The manufacturer draws it up on the basis of the Annex VII technical documentation, following the Annex VIII model. The Annex VIII contents are set out on the EU declaration of conformity page.

Which Plastic Packaging Is Exempt from the Recycled Content Targets?

Art. 7(4) PPWR exempts eight kinds of plastic packaging from the recycled content targets, mainly medicinal, medical-device, infant-food, compostable and dangerous-goods packaging, and Art. 7(5) adds two more exemptions. The exceptions are narrow: the Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V, notes that caps of milk bottles need recycled content, while caps of infant formula packaging are exempt under Art. 7(4)(g).

The exemptions apply directly. Commission Notice C/2026/3084 (OJ C, 10.6.2026), section 7, states that no grant by the Commission or a national authority is needed, and that the operator substantiates the exemption in the technical documentation. The Notice is non-binding.

The eight Art. 7(4) exceptions are listed in the table below.

Is a plastic part below 5 % of the packaging unit exempt?

Yes: under Art. 7(5)(b) PPWR any plastic part that makes up less than 5 % of the total weight of the whole packaging unit needs no recycled content. The test is per plastic part, not the composite packaging test of Art. 3(1)(24). The Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section V, gives a glass bottle as an example: its metal cap is not a plastic part at all, and its plastic label is exempt if it weighs less than 5 % of bottle, cap and label together.

When is food-contact plastic packaging exempt?

Art. 7(5)(a) PPWR exempts food-contact plastic packaging where the quantity of recycled content poses a threat to human health and results in non-compliance with Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (OJ L 338, 13.11.2004, p. 4). Notice C/2026/3084, section 7, describes the evidence: name the polymer of each plastic part of 5 % or more of the unit weight, and confirm that Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 lists no suitable recycling technology and that none is available at industrial scale under its Art. 4(3).

Recycled material gets no exception from the PPWR PFAS limits for food-contact packaging, which apply to food-contact packaging placed on the market after 12 August 2026 (Notice C/2026/3084, point 5).

Can the PPWR Recycled Content Percentages Change?

Yes, through three procedures written into Art. 7 PPWR: a derogation assessment by 1 January 2028, a delegated act for exceptional shortages, and a review of the percentages by 12 February 2032. None of them has produced a change as of 24 October 2026. The three procedures are listed below.

• Art. 7(12) derogation assessment: by 1 January 2028 the Commission assesses derogations from the Art. 7(1)(b) and (d) categories only, and the revision of the Art. 7(4) exception list.
• Art. 7(13) delegated act: the Commission may adjust the Art. 7(1) and (2) percentages where lack of availability or excessive prices of specific recycled plastics make compliance excessively difficult, only in exceptional cases with severe adverse effects on human or animal health, food supply security or the environment.
• Art. 7(14) review: by 12 February 2032 the Commission reports on the 2030 and 2040 percentages.

Are there recycled content targets for paper, glass or metal packaging?

No: Art. 7 PPWR sets recycled content targets for plastic packaging only, and Art. 7(15) asks the Commission to review recycled content in other packaging materials by 12 February 2032. Percentages quoted for paper, glass or metal packaging have no basis in the PPWR.

How Do the Recycled Content Targets Fit with Other PPWR Requirements?

Art. 7 is one of the Chapter II sustainability requirements of the PPWR, next to substances of concern in Art. 5, recyclability in Art. 6 and bio-based feedstock in Art. 8, which sets no targets and no operator obligations ahead of a Commission review by 12 February 2028. The other design and composition rules are explained under PPWR requirements for packaging.

Rules on recycled plastic in food contact materials are covered on foodcontactmaterials.net, and cosmetics product rules on eucosmeticsregulation.com.

Meeting a recycled content percentage does not make packaging recyclable. Design for recycling and the grades are set out under PPWR Article 6 recyclability.

Can EPR fees reward recycled content?

Yes: Art. 7(7) PPWR allows the financial contributions that producers pay under extended producer responsibility to be modulated by the percentage of recycled content in packaging.

Do the recycled content targets apply to imported packaging?

Yes: the importer, established in the Union, must demonstrate the recycled content share of plastic packaging it places on the EU market in the Annex VII technical documentation (Art. 3(1)(17), Art. 7(6) PPWR). What else the importer must check is set out in the PPWR obligations of importers.

How do the PPWR targets relate to the SUPD bottle targets?

The Single-Use Plastics Directive already sets recycled content for beverage bottles as Member State averages: 25 % for PET bottles from 2025 and 30 % for all such bottles from 2030 (Art. 6(5)(a) and (b) of Directive (EU) 2019/904). Art. 67(2) PPWR deletes both points from 1 January 2030 or 3 years after the Art. 7(8) implementing act, whichever is the latest; Art. 7(1)(c) then governs, at 30 % per manufacturing plant and year.

Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1425 (OJ L, 2026/1425, 3.7.2026), in force since 23 July 2026, is a SUPD act for single-use plastic beverage bottles and not the Art. 7(8) act. Both regimes are compared under PPWR vs the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Can packaging carry a recycled content label or claim?

A recycled content claim is allowed under Art. 14 PPWR only where the share exceeds the applicable minimum, and the claim must say whether it covers the packaging unit, a part of it or all packaging the operator places on the market. General claims law is covered on greenwashingdirective.com.

Art. 12(4) PPWR provides a harmonised recycled content label for voluntary use. It applies from 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the Art. 12(6) implementing act, whichever is later, and is explained with the other PPWR labelling requirements.