As reported by Open4Business, Ukrainian companies that export packaged goods to EU countries, since August 12 2026 must take into account the new uniform European requirements for packaging provided by the EU Regulation 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste - Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
The new rules do not only apply to manufacturers from EU countries. The European Commission directly notes that the regulation applies to all packaging placed on the European Union market, regardless of material and origin. Thus, the requirements also apply to goods from Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, China and other third countries.
The regulation entered into force on February 11, 2025, but its main provisions began to be applied precisely on August 12, 2026. It replaced the European directive on packaging and packaging waste, which was in effect for more than 30 years.
For Ukrainian businesses, this primarily concerns manufacturers of food and beverages, cosmetics, household chemicals, consumer and industrial goods, as well as e-commerce companies that ship packaged products to customers in the EU.
The new regulations establish requirements for the composition and safety of packaging materials, reduction of excessive packaging, the possibility of reuse and recycling. Manufacturers must assess the compliance of the packaging with the established requirements and draw up the EU Declaration of Conformity.
When delivering from Ukraine, the importer registered in the EU bears the direct legal responsibility for bringing the imported product to the European market in many cases. According to the regulation, an importer is a company or person located in the European Union and placing packaging or packaged goods from a third country on the EU market. With regard to imported products, he is subject to the obligation to check compliance with established requirements.
However, this does not mean that the Ukrainian manufacturer will not have to change anything. In practice, the European importer will need to obtain from the supplier data on the composition of the packaging, confirmation of its compliance with the requirements and technical documentation. If the Ukrainian company cannot provide these documents or the packaging does not comply with the PPWR, the European partner will not be able to normally bring such a product to the EU market.
One of the requirements, which is already of immediate importance from August 12, 2026, concerns packaging that comes into contact with food products. It must not contain PFAS - the so-called "eternal chemicals" - in concentrations exceeding the limit values set by the Regulation.
At the same time, some of the widely discussed PPWR requirements are being implemented in stages.
For example, the obligation to ensure the recyclability of all packaging is calculated for 2030, and new unified labeling rules are also introduced later. Therefore, it would be incorrect to claim that from August 12, 2026, companies are already obliged to comply with absolutely all future PPWR norms.
For Ukrainian exporters, the practical significance of the reform is that the compliance of the packaging is gradually becoming the same element of access to the EU market as the requirements for the safety and quality of the product itself. Companies in the food, light, chemical and FMCG industries, as well as manufacturers working under the private label of European retail chains, should check the packaging especially carefully.
On August 3, 2026, the European Commission additionally published updated clarifications for businesses regarding the application of PPWR, while the general date of entry into force of the main provisions of the regulation was set at August 12.
Primary source — EU Regulation 2025/40 and clarification of the European Commission on Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
https://open4business.com.ua/ukrayinski-eksportery-do-yes-pidpadayut-pid-novi-vymogy-do-upakovky/
