The European PET industry has achieved a fundamental milestone for implementing the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR): the adoption of CEN pr EN18120 standards for recycling-oriented design of plastic packaging.
The result stems from an unprecedented process involving nearly 150 expert meetings and hundreds of specialists throughout the entire value chain: from material producers to recyclers, encompassing brands, retailers, laboratories and academic institutions. Over 25 specific technical sessions were required for PET bottles alone.
The standards represent the technical backbone for the delegated act that the European Commission must adopt by January 2028, providing the recyclability assessment criteria set out in Article 6 of the PPWR.
Consensus built from the ground up
The CEN process ensured transparency and inclusivity: every technical requirement was approved only after consensus from all involved sectors, including recyclers. The methodology integrates two decades of consolidated experience from the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) and the Tray Circularity Evaluation Platform (TCEP).
This is the strongest technical foundation the plastics value chain has ever built together,
emphasises Petcore Europe, which coordinated the PET industry's representation in the standardisation process.
Ambitious 2030 targets
The standards are not an endpoint, but Europe's first harmonised framework for:
- Improving recyclability at industrial scale
- Enhancing the quality of recovered materials
- Ensuring investment certainty
- Enabling achievement of PPWR recyclability and recycled content targets by 2030
Continuous monitoring and improvement
Recognising this as the first version, Petcore Europe proposes creating a permanent platform to monitor standards implementation, assess their economic and qualitative impact, and integrate emerging technological developments.
The first formal revision is scheduled by the end of 2027, in collaboration with the European Commission and all value chain stakeholders.
A model for the circular economy
The initiative demonstrates how cross-industry collaboration can create robust technical solutions for sustainability challenges. The standards offer manufacturers clear and unified design criteria, whilst guaranteeing recyclers operational predictability and support for future investments.
A concrete example of how European industry is building the foundations for a genuine circular plastics economy.
