19. May 2026

Packaging: What’s Changing in the EU and Switzerland

Do you already know whether your packaging will still be approved as of August 2026?

EU has made its decision. Switzerland is following its lead. For businesses, this marks the start of a phase where waiting and seeing could prove costly.

What the EU PWR Directive regulates

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will become mandatory in all EU member states on August 12, 2026. For the first time, it establishes binding requirements for packaging across Europe:

Mandatory recycled content targets starting in 2030
Clear requirements for recyclability and labeling
Complete transparency regarding material types, weights, and recycled content
Reuse requirements for certain categories of packaging

The PPWR applies to all companies that place packaging on the EU market—regardless of where they are headquartered. Swiss companies that export products to countries such as Germany, France, or Austria, or that operate in those countries, are directly affected.

What Switzerland is planning

The situation is also changing for companies that operate exclusively within Switzerland. In June 2025, the Federal Council launched a public consultation on the complete revision of the Beverage Packaging Ordinance. The current regulation, which dates back to 2000, is to be replaced by a comprehensive Packaging Ordinance (VerpV) – with a significantly expanded scope and explicit alignment with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWR).

The most important changes:

All types of packaging are now covered, not just beverage packaging
Recovery hierarchy: Reuse and recycling are given legal priority
Nationwide separate collection of plastic packaging
Alignment with the PPWR: Switzerland is adopting the general approach of the EU regulation

The final regulation is currently being drafted.

What to do now

Whether you operate in the EU market or solely in the Swiss market, regulation is coming. The difference lies in the timeline:

EU market presence: Action is needed by August 2026. Time is running out for structured preparation.
Swiss market only: The new Packaging Ordinance is currently being drafted. Those who stay informed about its development now will avoid surprises later on.

However, packaging regulations should not remain merely a compliance issue. The key questions are operational: What types of packaging do we use? What data do we have, and what is missing? Where is action needed, and in what order? In this context, expert guidance can be valuable. ecos analyzes packaging portfolios, establishes the necessary data foundation, and supports the implementation process—from strategy to concrete optimization.

A good place to start is the PPWR Cheat Sheet created by our parent company, Sustainable. It provides a concise overview of requirements, deadlines, and the first steps to take

(Sources: Bundesrat, Medienmitteilung vom 25. Juni 2025 | PPWR Cheat Sheet, Sustainable AG)

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Packaging Project with Denner

As ecos, we have been supporting Denner in the further development of its packaging strategy for about a year; Marco Wallimann has been assisting Denner in this regard since 2023—and we are consistently building on this foundation to expand our work and the insights we have gained. Specifically, we are creating data transparency across the packaging portfolio, developing decision-making frameworks for comparing single-use and reusable solutions, and translating the results into actionable operational improvements.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version) The results are measurable: The analyses have directly led to over 100 implemented packaging optimizations at Denner.