The Commission’s decision to introduce a derogation for pallet wrappings and straps from the 100% reuse targets set out in Article 29(2) and (3) of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) represents a welcome recognition of the operational challenges consistently raised by the European packaging value chain throughout the legislative process. By acknowledging these practical constraints, the Commission affirms the evidence provided by businesses across sectors, demonstrating that these packaging formats are not suitable for reuse and that, to date, no proven reusable alternatives exist at scale that can guarantee an equivalent level of load stability, product protection, transport safety, and operational reliability. Therefore, the decision to restrict this derogation exclusively to the 100% target, leaving the 40% reuse target of Article 29(1) untouched, is both inconsistent and disappointing…

Industry reaction to the Commission’s Delegated Act under Article 29 PPWR