Rahmen und Wirtschaft

Italy has taken a significant step in implementing the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR): for selected packaging applications, certified compostability is becoming a market-access requirement.

The development is important not only for companies selling packaging in Italy, but for the wider European packaging industry. It shows how the PPWR can allow national measures to reflect existing waste-management systems — and how the choice of material and end-of-life route can increasingly become a regulatory consideration.

What has changed in Italy?

On 6 August 2026, European Bioplastics welcomed the Italian decree-law introducing mandatory compostability requirements for selected packaging applications.

The measure applies to packaging used for:

• fresh fruit and vegetables
• food service and catering
• single food portions
• hospitality

Italy is using the flexibility provided by Article 9(2)(b) of the PPWR to require certain packaging formats to be compostable where effective biowaste collection and organic recycling systems are in place.

This is an important distinction: the measure does not mean that all single-use packaging in Italy must now be compostable.

Instead, it targets specific applications where organic recycling can provide an appropriate end-of-life pathway.

From product characteristic to market requirement

For companies operating in these applications, the biggest change is the regulatory baseline.

Compostability has traditionally been a product characteristic that companies could choose based on the application, brand strategy or sustainability objectives.

For the packaging covered by the Italian measure, this changes.

Certified compostability becomes part of the requirements for accessing the Italian market.

That means companies across the packaging value chain — including packaging manufacturers, converters, brands, retailers and importers — need to consider more than simply whether a material is technically compostable.

They need to ensure that the packaging meets the relevant certification, labelling and end-of-life requirements.

This is where material selection becomes increasingly strategic.

Why organic recycling?

Not every packaging application follows the same waste stream.

Food-soiled packaging, for example, can be difficult to recycle mechanically because contamination can affect the quality and economics of material recovery. Where packaging is used together with organic waste, a certified compostable solution may offer another route: allowing the packaging and food waste to enter an appropriate organic recycling system together.

But this only works when the complete system is in place.

Compostability alone does not make packaging circular.

Collection, sorting, treatment and correct disposal all need to work together.

This is also one of the principles behind the PPWR: packaging solutions need to be considered within the wider waste-management system rather than evaluated purely on the material itself.

What does this mean for packaging companies?

The Italian example is a useful signal for businesses preparing for the implementation of the PPWR across Europe.

Companies should increasingly ask three questions when selecting packaging materials:

1. What happens to the packaging after use?

Is mechanical recycling the appropriate route? Could organic recycling be more suitable? Or is another end-of-life pathway required?

2. Does the waste-management infrastructure support that route?

A compostable packaging solution only makes sense where the relevant collection and organic recycling infrastructure exists and the packaging can actually reach it.

3. What does the legislation require for the target market?

Requirements may differ depending on the packaging application, material, market and national implementation.

Italy demonstrates that the same EU framework can interact with national waste-management conditions to create specific requirements for packaging placed on a national market.

Compostability is not a general exemption

It is equally important not to misinterpret the Italian measure.

The new requirements do not create a general exemption from the PPWR’s broader objectives on packaging prevention and reduction.

Using a compostable material does not automatically make unnecessary packaging acceptable.

The PPWR continues to push companies towards reducing unnecessary packaging, improving recyclability, increasing recycled content where applicable and supporting more circular packaging systems.

The Italian approach is therefore better understood as a targeted application of compostability where the packaging use case and the available organic recycling system justify it.

What companies should take from the Italian example

For packaging businesses, the development highlights a broader trend: material choice and end-of-life strategy are becoming increasingly connected to regulation.

Instead of asking simply:

“Is this material sustainable?”

companies increasingly need to ask:

“Is this material appropriate for this application, this market and this end-of-life system?”

That shift is particularly relevant for companies developing or sourcing packaging solutions for the European market.

Biobased and compostable polymers can play an important role in specific applications, but they need to be selected according to the technical requirements of the product, the intended waste stream and the applicable regulatory framework.

Turning regulatory change into material solutions

At Plastrans Technologies, we work with polymer solutions across conventional, recycled and biobased materials.

Our role is to help companies navigate material selection with a focus on the specific application, technical requirements and evolving regulatory landscape.

The Italian development is a good example of why there is no single material solution for every packaging application. Circularity depends on choosing the right material — and ensuring that the infrastructure and end-of-life pathway are aligned with it.

As the PPWR moves from legislation into practical implementation, understanding these connections will become increasingly important for companies operating across Europe.