From 12 August onwards, all packaging manufactured in or imported into the European Union must comply with the first set of obligations. With no grace period, the Regulation establishes a common framework and a level playing field for companies operating across Europe. While these are only the first measures, additional requirements and ambitious targets will be phased in progressively until 2030.

The PPWR will have far-reaching consequences for workers employed across Europe's chemical, plastics, metals, glass and paper industries. Companies will need to invest in new production processes, upgrade manufacturing lines and adapt administrative systems. The first obligations include restrictions on PFAS in food-contact packaging, tighter limits on heavy metals, mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) registrations in every Member State, and new traceability requirements through operator labelling.

For industriAll Europe, the success of the PPWR will depend not only on legislation, but on the willingness of companies to invest in sustainable production and on the meaningful involvement of workers and their trade unions throughout the transition.

Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe, said:

"We are at a key moment as companies hesitate or freeze investments in plastics recycling and innovative packaging alternatives. The PPWR must send a clear signal for the next five-to-ten-year investment period, demonstrating that there is a market for innovative, sustainable packaging solutions and creating the certainty needed to maximise recyclability and sustainability wherever possible."

At the same time, the transition must be managed in a way that protects quality jobs and equips workers with the skills required for the future.

Judith Kirton-Darling added:

"A legislative text alone does not achieve circularity; the workers implementing this transition on the shop floor do. To prevent structural unemployment and widening skills gaps, employers and public authorities must invest in proactive training and reskilling. Workers and their trade unions must be fully involved in anticipating change to ensure this transition is a Just Transition that leaves no one behind."

In this context, the ISWIMGREEN project, led by Uni Europa in cooperation with industriAll Europe, has launched a practical toolkit, an AI companion and a video tutorial to support workers' representatives and European Works Councils (EWCs) in understanding and implementing the PPWR.
The resources, available here, have been developed with direct input from workers' representatives. Powered by Perplexity, the AI companion is specifically tailored to support real-world information and consultation processes in companies across Europe.

IndustriAll Europe encourages workers' representatives to bring these resources to their next EWC meeting. Anticipating change is a core trade union priority. Only through the active participation of trade unions, drawing on the knowledge and experience of workers, can Europe deliver a circular economy that is fair, competitive and socially just.