New EU ecodesign measures are tightening sustainability and compliance expectations for the global packaging sector as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation moves further into its implementation phase.
In early February 2026, the European Union advanced work on delegated and implementing acts under the regulation, reinforcing its role as a central pillar of EU circular economy policy and extending its impact well beyond energy-related products to include packaging and packaging materials.
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The regulation, led by the European Commission, applies to almost all physical goods placed on the EU market.
For packaging producers, converters and brand owners, the measures signal a shift towards stricter oversight of how products are designed, sourced and managed across their full lifecycle.
Wider sustainability scope under EU ecodesign rules
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation replaces the earlier Ecodesign Directive and significantly broadens the range of sustainability criteria that can be imposed on products.
These include durability, reusability, recyclability, use of recycled content and limits on substances of concern. While packaging-specific rules are not yet finalised under the framework, the regulation provides the legal basis for future requirements that directly affect packaging design and material choices.
Recent Commission actions in February 2026, including progress on implementing acts and product priority setting, underline the EU’s intention to use ecodesign as a tool to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency.
Measures adopted so far also highlight a stronger policy stance on preventing unnecessary destruction of unsold goods, a principle that could shape future approaches to packaging waste prevention.
Digital product passports and traceability pressures
A central feature of the ecodesign framework is the planned introduction of Digital Product Passports. These digital records are intended to store and share key information on product composition, environmental performance and sustainability attributes throughout the value chain.
For the packaging sector, this points to growing expectations around traceability, data accuracy and information sharing between suppliers, manufacturers and customers.
Although digital product passports are being rolled out in stages and by product group, packaging companies are increasingly expected to prepare systems capable of supporting detailed sustainability data.
This development aligns with broader EU goals to improve transparency and enforcement across complex, cross-border supply chains.
Overlap with packaging and packaging waste regulation
The compliance burden for packaging businesses is heightened by the interaction between ecodesign rules and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which will start applying from August 2026.
While the two regulations serve different legal functions, both push in the same direction: more circular packaging design, clearer labelling and stronger accountability for environmental impacts.
As ecodesign requirements are developed through delegated acts over the coming years, companies supplying packaging to the EU market will need to track regulatory timelines closely.
The measures signalled in February 2026 suggest that sustainability performance is becoming a core condition of market access, with implications for packaging producers worldwide, not only those based in Europe.
