UK businesses exporting food, drink, household, health and beauty, and personal care products into the European Union are being urged to review the operating models for managing pallets, containers and other transport packaging used across their supply chains as the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is phased in this month.

August 12th marks the first step in the introduction of the regulations, with total implementation scheduled for 2030.

The PPWR will cover all packaging placed on the EU market, including transport packaging such as pallets, containers and crates. It is intended to reduce the amount of packaging waste in Europe and promote the reuse and recycling of packaging. The EU hopes to drastically lower packaging emissions in this way.
Although many detailed requirements are being phased in over time, it introduces significant reuse obligations from 2030. These include a requirement for at least 40% of specified transport packaging used within the EU to be reusable within a reuse system, with 100% requirements for certain movements within the same business group or within a single Member State.
Katie Ingham, commercial director at pallet pooling leader CHEP, says: “PPWR puts transport packaging firmly in the spotlight. For British exporters, that means pallets and containers can no longer be treated as a low-profile operational issue, because businesses will need to show how those assets move through a genuine reuse system.

“The challenge is that once packaging moves across different sites, partners, and markets, visibility can easily be lost. Companies that act now to review their responsibilities, recovery processes and supporting data will be far better placed to manage compliance risk and keep goods moving smoothly across Europe.”

Katie advises that British manufacturers and FMCG exporters act now and review their logistics models for managing pallets and containers, including their processes, data, recovery systems, repair capacity and responsibilities. This is made all the harder by exports as information will sit across different systems, sites or partners.

She adds: “British manufacturing companies need to know where pallets and containers go in Europe, whether they operate within a genuine reuse system, who is responsible for recovery and repair, and whether reliable data can be produced.”
CHEP warns that companies that do not comply with the new regulations risk having responsibility incorrectly assigned, relying on estimated rather than verified data for reporting, and facing costs for regulatory breaches.