If you've heard anything this year about new packaging rules, the shortest summary is this: the obligations don't all arrive at once. Some already apply, some changed concretely this year, and some still lie ahead, in 2028 and 2030. For those working on packaging and registrations now, what matters most is what's different this year from last year.
The main thing playing out in 2026 is that registration obligations have become stricter or clearer in several countries, and a number of thresholds that previously spared small players have disappeared or been lowered. If you previously thought you'd escape because your company is small or puts little packaging on the market, it's wise to check again. What doesn't structurally change are the core obligations themselves: register in the country where you place packaged products on the market, maintain a technical file and be able to present a statement of compliance.
What has applied for longer, and what is now stated slightly more sharply
The obligation to register packaging in the country of destination did not start this year. What has changed is that supervisors and marketplaces in several Member States have become more active in checking whether that registration actually exists. This particularly affects companies that sell through multiple European webshops or marketplaces and previously assumed that one registration in their home country would suffice. That's not the case, and it wasn't before either — it's just becoming more visibly enforced.
Besides, in some countries the threshold below which small companies were exempt from registration has been adjusted or abolished. This particularly affects office managers and directors of smaller webshops who thought their volume was too low to count. Whether that applies to your situation depends on the country, the packaging type and your turnover in that country, and that differs per Member State. in a few questions see whether and where this applies to you provides an indication for each country, without needing to set up an account first.
What else has shifted this year
A second change lies in the way countries look at each other's registrations. A registration in one EU country rarely automatically covers your obligations in another country in practice, and that premise has been confirmed rather than eased this year. For companies just starting to supply across borders, that's often the first surprise: each country with its own waste management asks for its own registration, sometimes with its own register and its own deadline.
There is also greater clarity on who exactly is responsible when multiple parties are involved in a package, such as with fulfilment or when purchasing through an intermediary. The main rule — whoever fills the package is generally considered the responsible party — is not in question, but the guidance on this has been sharpened in some respects this year. For cases of doubt, it remains advisable to consult the official guidance or involve a lawyer; we cite those guidelines and refer onward, but we don't give an opinion on individual situations.
What isn't happening this year, but is coming
Two dates that are regularly mentioned lie clearly ahead of us: the labelling obligation that will apply from 2028, and the requirements for empty space and recycled content that apply from 2030. Those obligations did not become active this year, but companies that are now developing packaging or concluding long-term contracts with suppliers are wise to already account for that now. Waiting until the year itself arrives usually means that the packaging is already locked into a production process that isn't quick to adapt.
What this means for you
For most SMEs, the situation boils down to this: there is not one new, all-encompassing obligation being added this year, but rather existing obligations are being monitored more strictly and a number of exemptions have been removed. Whether that changes what you need to do for your packaging and your sales countries cannot be answered in one general statement — it depends on the packaging type, the country, and your role in it.
To review that for your own situation, you can go through the topics by theme in the knowledge base with topics sorted by situation, or consult the frequently asked questions if you are looking for a short, direct answer. If you want to know how we obtain our information and why source references always remain freely accessible, you can read that on the page about where our information comes from.
The easiest starting point remains the free quick-scan: in a few questions you see per packaging type and per country an indication of your role, without having to register first. If you want to proceed further afterwards, for example with a complete packaging dossier or guided registration per country, you will find on the page to create a business account how that works.