PPWR – Definition of packaging

According to the PPWR, packaging means, regardless of the material, any item intended to be used by an economic operator for the containment or protection of products, or to enable their handling, delivery or presentation to another operator or to the end user.

PPWR – Sales packaging and grouped packaging

Sales packaging is packaging in which a product is sold to a consumer or other end user. It protects the product, enables its handling, and often also serves to convey product information.

Grouped packaging is packaging that groups a certain number of sales units together at the point of sale.

Grouped packaging may be sold as such to the end user or may facilitate the stocking, storage or distribution of products. A key characteristic is that grouped packaging can be removed without affecting the characteristics of the product.

Examples of grouped packaging:

plastic wrap or carton packaging for a six-pack of beverage cans
multipacks of yogurt
multipacks of toothpaste tubes
plastic film or cardboard wrap around a group of products delivered to retail

PPWR – Transport packaging

Transport packaging:

PPWR defines transport packaging as packaging intended to facilitate the handling or transportation of one or more sales units within the supply chain.
Transport packaging also includes packaging used in e-commerce to deliver products to the end user through distance selling.
However, transport packaging does not include containers used in road, rail, sea or air transport.

PPWR – Service packaging

Service packaging refers to packaging intended to be filled at the point of sale for the distribution of products. In addition, under the PPWR, packaging also includes any other single-use items that fulfil a packaging function and are sold and filled, or designed and intended to be filled, at the point of sale.

Examples:

paper and plastic bags
single-use plates and cups
take-away containers
pizza boxes
cling film (when used for packaging products)
bakery bags
aluminium foil (when used for packaging products)
plastic wrap used by dry cleaners for clean garments

PPWR – Primary production packaging

Primary production packaging is used for unprocessed products originating from primary production. Primary production refers to the production, rearing and cultivation of products, harvesting, milking, and all stages of animal production prior to slaughter. It also includes hunting, fishing and the gathering of wild products.

This refers to packaging used by agricultural and horticultural enterprises for the sale of their own unprocessed products.

Examples of unprocessed products include:

berries
vegetables
fruits
grains

Packaging is considered primary production packaging only if the product it contains is unprocessed. Products are regarded as unprocessed if they have undergone only simple physical processing, such as washing, removal of leaves and sorting.

PPWR – Tea bags and coffee capsules

Under the PPWR, the following items are also considered packaging and fall within the scope of extended producer responsibility:

Permeable beverage bags or other single-serve units that become soft during use
→ for example, tea bags
Non-permeable single-serve units containing a beverage, intended for use in a machine
→ for example, coffee capsules

Flower and plant pots, including seed trays, used in business-to-business relations throughout different stages of production or intended to be sold with the plant
Tool boxes
Wax layers around cheese
Sausage skins
Clothing hangers (sold separately)
Cartridges for printers
CD, DVD and video cases (sold together with a CD, DVD or video inside)
CD spindles (sold empty, intended to be used as storage)
Soluble bags for detergents
Paints, inks, varnishes and adhesives applied directly to the surface of a product

Graveside candles
Mechanical quern (integrated in a refillable recipient, e.g. refillable pepper mill)
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags
Tyre labels in the form of stickers
Stirrer
Disposable cutlery
Wrapping paper (sold separately to consumers and business operators)
Paper baking cases (sold empty)
Cake doilies sold without a cake
Disposable plates and cups not intended to be filled at the point of sale

Beverage cups sold empty

Under the PPWR, single-use beverage cups sold empty are not considered packaging unless they are intended to be filled at the point of sale.

However, beverage cups sold empty to the end user fall within the scope of the SUP Directive, and under national implementation they are considered equivalent to packaging.

In practice, this means that beverage cups sold empty must be reported as part of packaging producer responsibility reporting, and recycling fees and SUP fees must be paid for them.