The Bundestag passed the Packaging Law Implementation Act (Verpackungsrecht-Durchführungsgesetz, VerpackDG) on June 11, 2026. The law replaces the existing Packaging Act (Verpackungsgesetz, VerpackG). It also implements the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Regulation (EU) 2025/40, into German national law. Plastic recycling quotas will rise to 75% by 2028 and 80% by 2030.
NOTE: The law still requires Bundesrat approval before it enters force. It is designed to align with August 12, 2026. That is when the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) becomes directly applicable across all EU member states.
Why Germany needed a new packaging law
The EU PPWR (Regulation EU 2025/40) entered into force on February 11, 2025. Most obligations apply in all EU member states from August 12, 2026. As an EU regulation, the PPWR applies directly in Germany without the need for separate national transposition.
However, German national rules that conflicted with or existed alongside the EU regulation had to be updated. The existing Packaging Act (Verpackungsgesetz) was no longer compatible.
The new Packaging Law (VerpackDG) provides a consistent national enforcement framework. It adapts German packaging law to the new EU requirements. It also closes gaps that would otherwise create legal uncertainty for businesses.
The Bundestag vote on June 11 was not unanimous. CDU/CSU and SPD voted in favour of the new packaging law. AfD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, and Die Linke voted against it.
NOTE: Even without the VerpackDG, the EU PPWR (Regulation 2025/40) applies directly in Germany from August 12, 2026. Businesses do not need to wait for national transposition to comply with the EU regulation itself.
What changes under the VerpackDG?
The new Packaging Law (VerpackDG) introduces binding requirements for packaging placed on the German market:
- Plastic recycling quotas will increase to 75% by 2028 and 80% by 2030.
- Chemical recycling counts toward the plastic recycling quota. Its contribution will be capped at 5% of the total quota from 2028.
- Mandatory recyclability requirements will apply to all packaging. Packaging must be designed so that it can actually be recycled.
- Hazardous substances will be banned from packaging. This includes certain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
- Oversized packaging will be restricted. Packaging must not be significantly larger than the product it contains.
- Labelling requirements will help consumers sort and dispose of packaging correctly.
- Reusability and compostability requirements apply where relevant under the EU Regulation.
