PPWR compostable packaging

Article 9(1) requires a short, specific list of formats to be compatible with industrial composting from 12 February 2028: permeable tea, coffee and beverage bags, soft single-serve units, and sticky labels on fruit and vegetables.

The date is fixed; the standard behind it is not. The Commission's standardisation requests to the European standardisation organisations for industrial and home compostability were due on 12 February 2026. Where a Member State requires home-composting compatibility, that applies too — a national variation on an EU-wide duty. Everything outside this narrow list, including biodegradable-polymer packaging, must instead be designed for material recycling under Article 6 from the same date.