Packaging: tea bags are subject to an environmental levy
The new classification system involves payment based on the material. The principle is to reduce weight and bulk. The aim is to achieve full recyclability.
From 12 August, tea bags and coffee pods will officially be classified as packaging, meaning that an environmental levy must be paid and a declaration of conformity submitted; from 2028, they must be industrially compostable. This is just a taste of the PPWR, EU Regulation 2025/40, which rewrites the rules on packaging. The declaration of conformity and the limits on PFAS come into force immediately; then the countdown begins: from 2030 all recyclable packaging and mandatory quotas for recycled plastic, with per capita waste down by 5 per cent by 2030 and 15 per cent by 2040.
The EU Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR – Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) has been in force since 11 February 2025 but will apply from 12 August 2026. The PPWR fundamentally overhauls the rules governing the sector. It has three objectives: to reduce the volume of packaging placed on the market and the associated waste, to curb the use of virgin resources and to steer the production system towards a model that is sustainable, circular and capable of withstanding competition. The regulation sets out a range of new requirements which, as mentioned, cover packaging throughout its life cycle: from design to when it becomes waste. Some requirements come into force on 12 August, such as the declaration of conformity and the content of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), whilst others will apply from 2030. However, companies are already being called upon to engage in a process of continuous improvement and to strengthen dialogue with their supply chains.
The regulation establishes a general principle of reducing the mass and bulk of packaging to the bare essentials, through the minimisation of unused space, and sets mandatory recycled content targets for plastic packaging, to be achieved by 2030 and 2040. The regulation has a substantial impact on packaging design by laying down requirements regarding sustainability and information. These range from the substances present to recyclability requirements, from compostable packaging to labelling obligations (Articles 5 to 12). With regard to penalties, competent authorities and the repeal of incompatible provisions of Legislative Decree 152/2006, Article 14 of Law 36/2026 empowers the Government to adopt legislative decrees to bring legislation into line by December. Everything is based on the requirements of extended producer responsibility (EPR).
The plan is to reduce per capita packaging waste compared with 2018: by 5 per cent by 2030, 10 per cent by 2035 and 15 per cent by 2040.
Definitions and timelines
All packaging on the EU market must be recyclable in an economically sustainable manner from 2030. Annex V sets out restrictions on the use of certain types of single-use plastic packaging (e.g. nets, bags, trays). The PPWR Regulation imposes obligations on economic operators identified as manufacturers, suppliers, importers, distributors, authorised representatives, final distributors and logistics service providers.
