Source: European Parliament
The Commission supports circular and sustainable consumption and production of biological resources for materials and services. To create a market for biobased material, the Commission is assessing the possibility to anticipate the review of biobased feedstock in plastic packaging as required in Article 8(1) of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)[1].
Concerning certain composting standards that would apply for some applications or in some instances, and according to Article 9(6) of the PPWR, the Commission shall request the European standardisation organisations to prepare or update harmonised standards laying down the detailed technical specifications of the requirements on compostable packaging by 12 February 2026. In this context, the Commission will also request harmonised standards of home compostability[2].
Such standards should be based on the latest scientific and technological developments[3], including verification ensuring that the compostable packaging is effectively biologically decomposed[4].
The Commission intends to present a new EU Bioeconomy Strategy in 2025 to drive forward the market-scale development of biobased materials and technologies for their manufacturing.
As identified by the recent Competitiveness Compass[5], the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy is a crucial deliverable under the ‘innovation pillar’ to unleash the potential for EU industries, including bioplastics.
In particular, the Clean Industrial Deal[6] has highlighted the need to harness the substitution potential of biobased materials as a key pathway to a fossil-free economy.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC, OJ L, 2025/40, 22.1.2025. The PPWR mandates the Commission within three years after its entry into force date to review the state of technological development and environmental performance of biobased plastic packaging. The outcome of this review might possibly lead to a new legislative proposal, laying down sustainability requirements and targets for inclusion of biobased feedstock in plastic packaging.
- [2] Pursuant to Article 9(1) of the PPWR.
- [3] Parameters such as retention times, temperatures and stirring, which reflect the actual conditions in home composts and in bio-waste treatment facilities, including anaerobic digestion processes.
- [4] Biological decomposition subject to the specified parameters results ultimately in conversion into carbon dioxide or, in absence of oxygen, methane, and mineral salts, biomass and water.
- [5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_339.
- [6] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/clean-industrial-deal_en.