CEN Approves Biodegradable Plastic Packaging Specifications
Four new technical specifications address design and recyclability of biodegradable plastic packaging under the EU's packaging rules.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Organic Food
CEN National Members approved four technical specifications for biodegradable plastic packaging, covering guidelines for rigid and flexible designs and a recyclability evaluation. The specifications were produced by a subgroup requested by European Bioplastics within a CEN working group.
Why it matters
The specifications are expected to feed into the PPWR Delegated Act on Design for Recycling, which is set for adoption by January 2028. Existing infrastructure in Europe does not reliably identify and sort biodegradable plastic packaging by its predominant material, and such packaging remains a very small share of recycling streams.
CEN approved four technical specifications, which include traffic light tables and testing protocols for assessing the potential recyclability of existing packaging. The Delegated Act they support is targeted for adoption by January 2028, and the extraction does not specify the final requirements.
The players
CEN
The European Committee for Standardization, a body that develops voluntary technical standards for products and services across Europe.
European Bioplastics
An industry association representing producers and users of bioplastics, which requested the subgroup that produced the specifications.
The details
The technical specifications cover guidelines for designing rigid and flexible biodegradable plastic packaging and include a recyclability evaluation. They were drafted by a subgroup requested by European Bioplastics within the CEN working group responsible for Design for Recycling of plastic packaging products under the PPWR.
Timeline
August 2026: The PPWR began applying.
January 2028: The PPWR Design for Recycling Delegated Act is set for adoption.
Culture Shift
The specifications feed the PPWR Design for Recycling Delegated Act, which is targeted for adoption by January 2028 and reflects the regulation's push to make packaging recyclable by design. Biodegradable packaging has so far been a very small presence in European recycling streams, so the new criteria extend that framework to a material category that existing sorting systems struggle to identify.
Manufacturers designing biodegradable packaging will need to align with the forthcoming recyclability criteria before the Delegated Act is adopted. Consumers should expect the labeling and sorting implications to take effect only as these rules are finalized and implemented.
The takeaway
Packaging claims about biodegradability will increasingly be judged against measurable recyclability criteria rather than material labels alone. Readers and buyers can watch for how these technical specifications shape packaging choices as the PPWR rules take effect.
What happens next
The PPWR Design for Recycling Delegated Act is set for adoption by January 2028, when the final requirements will be fixed.
Further reading
For more on the materials behind this rulemaking, see Organic Food.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Packaginginsights.
