The EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), effective August 2026, requires all pet food packaging to be recyclable by 2030, forcing manufacturers to shift from complex multi-material structures to mono-material designs while managing uncertain compliance costs and developing recycling infrastructure.
- PPWR became applicable across the EU on August 12, 2026, with a mandate that all packaging be recyclable by 2030.
- Pet food manufacturers must transition from multi-layer structures (polyester, aluminum, polypropylene) to mono-material alternatives while maintaining product protection and shelf life.
- Wet pet food in retort pouches faces unique technical challenges due to high-temperature sterilization requirements and strict barrier properties.
- Compliance costs vary significantly based on materials, redesign scope and equipment upgrades needed for existing filling lines.
- Smaller brands face greater challenges but can benefit from working with packaging partners who have already developed validated recyclable solutions.
The European Union’s (EU) new packaging rules will bring uneven challenges for pet food manufacturers, from redesigning complex packaging formats and managing uncertain costs to relying on recycling infrastructure that is still developing.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which became applicable across the EU bloc on August 12, 2026, has introduced a variety of new requirements concerning packaging design, material composition, recyclability and recycled content. Aimed at reducing packaging waste and ensuring that all packaging on the EU market is recyclable by 2030, the regulation is expected to affect industries differently.
Wide-ranging implications for pet food
The pet food industry, with its extensive reliance on diverse packaging formats and complex material structures, faces some of the most far-reaching changes under the new regulation, according to industry players.
PPWR will have wide-ranging implications for pet food packaging, said Damien Maisonnial, business development manager, pet food, consumer flexibles, at packaging provider Mondi. For pet food producers, he explained, new requirements like recyclability and recycling content must be considered alongside an already demanding packaging brief: protecting the product throughout its shelf life, performing reliably during filling, transport and handling, and providing the functionality consumers expect.
Packaging manufacturers expect PPWR to significantly affect how pet food producers design and use packaging. “Across the pet food sector, we expect to see a continued shift toward mono-material packaging structures and greater scrutiny of every packaging component, from barrier layers and adhesives through to inks, closures and decorative finishes," commented Renaud Gautier, key account manager pet food, with packaging supplier Coveris.
In addition, recyclability will need to be considered much earlier in the development process alongside product protection, shelf appeal and operational performance, Gautier said.
Different formats, different challenges
Industry representatives believe recyclability challenges will vary widely, with flexible formats facing the toughest technical hurdles.
Wet pet food packaging requires excellent barrier properties and, in many cases, retort capability, meaning the food is heat-treated in the package itself, said Adam Ferguson, senior global marketing manager, flexible packaging at Huhtamaki, a packaging manufacturer. “Packaging must protect food safety, preserve shelf life and withstand transportation, retail handling and e-commerce distribution. From our perspective, improving circularity cannot come at the expense of these essential functions.”
Traditionally, Ferguson added, retort pouches have often used multi-material structures such as polyester, aluminum and polypropylene. These combinations deliver the required performance but can be difficult to recycle.
Replacing traditional multi-layer constructions with recyclable mono-material alternatives is achievable, but it requires careful engineering to balance recyclability with performance, Gautier said.
“For dry pet food, we are seeing a move from complex multi-material laminates toward mono-material structures based predominantly on one polymer, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, where the application allows it,” Maisonnial said.
He added that the challenge is to achieve this while maintaining the moisture, fat and odor barriers, sealing performance and mechanical strength the product requires. This is particularly important for larger bags, which need to withstand considerable stresses during filling, transport and handling.
“Wet pet food in retort pouches is technically even more demanding,” Maisonnial emphasized. These packs, he explained, need to withstand high-temperature sterilization while maintaining very high barrier properties, seal integrity, food safety and a long shelf life.
Counting the cost of packaging changes
At this stage, the cost of adapting to PPWR remains difficult to quantify, with the financial burden likely to vary significantly across packaging formats and manufacturers.
“It’s hard to put figures on compliance costs, as they will depend on the materials used, the level of redesign required and the pace at which changes are implemented,” Gautier said.
He added that the packaging itself is only part of the picture. For many brands, the ability to run new packaging formats on existing filling lines is just as important, as equipment upgrades can significantly increase the cost and complexity of the transition. “We therefore focus on developing mono-material solutions that can be introduced on existing lines, or with only limited adjustments, wherever possible.”
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the PPWR transition in pet food packaging. Every application has different requirements, which is why working together early is so important,” said Maisonnial.
Gautier also warned that smaller brands may face greater challenges due to more limited technical and other resources, but they can benefit from working with packaging partners that have already developed and validated recyclable solutions and understand how to apply them across different applications.
“Businesses that start assessing their packaging strategies early are also likely to be in a stronger position to manage the transition effectively,” Maisonnial said.
Industry representatives also believe some changes are needed at the EU-wide and national levels to ensure the reform goes down smoothly. “To realize the full benefits of the regulation, Europe will also need continued investment in collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure, stronger markets for recycled materials and well-functioning extended producer responsibility schemes,” Ferguson said.
“For the packaging value chain, the greatest environmental gains will come when packaging is both designed for recyclability and supported by systems that can recycle materials at scale,” he added.
