PPWR and heat-resistant food and beverage packaging
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) began applying on 12 August 2026. PPWR impacts the entire packaging value chain, from material and packaging design to market placement and end-of-life. All need to be aware of or act on requirements that apply today while preparing for the recycled-content and recyclability rules that follow.
For applications such as hot-fill containers, takeaway food trays and coffee lids, material choices must also meet practical demands: heat resistance, food protection and reliable performance during production and use.
Key requirements for packaging developers
Substances in food-contact packaging. Food-contact packaging placed on the EU market must now meet PPWR limits on PFAS. The regulation also retains a combined concentration limit of 100 mg/kg for lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium. These requirements sit alongside existing EU food-contact legislation.
Minimum recycled content. For contact-sensitive packaging with PET as its major component, excluding single-use beverage bottles, PPWR sets a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled plastic content for 2030, rising to 50% in 2040.
Recyclability. Harmonized design-for-recycling assessments are scheduled from 2030. A requirement for recycling at scale follows from 2035, subject to the implementing timetable. Existing recyclability obligations remain relevant during the transition.
Packaging minimization. From 2030, packaging weight and volume must be reduced to the minimum needed to maintain functionality, subject to the regulation’s provisions and exceptions. Material reduction must therefore be tested against use: a thinner tray still needs to withstand filling and handling, while a lighter coffee lid must retain its shape and fit securely.
How Akestra™ can help
Akestra™ adds heat resistance to PET-based packaging. It can be co-extruded with recycled PET, combining a recycled PET core with layers that provide the required thermal performance in the final packaging solution.
Food-contact suitability. Akestra™ is PFAS-free, meets applicable heavy-metal restrictions and is suitable for food-contact applications. Relevant grade documentation and testing of the finished pack should confirm suitability for the intended food or beverage, temperature and contact conditions.
Heat resistance and recycled content. Akestra™ supports applications up to 95°C and can enable up to 90% recycled PET content in food packaging, depending on the construction. This gives developers room to work towards recycled-content targets while meeting temperature requirements.
Performance for hot beverage lids. Takeaway coffee lids need to retain their shape and rigidity when exposed to hot drinks, fit securely and provide a consistent drinking experience. Akestra™ enables developers to explore PET-based lids with high recycled content while addressing these needs.
Packaging and processing properties. Akestra™ can offer glass-like clarity, rigidity, snap characteristics comparable to polystyrene and barrier properties close to PET. It is compatible with existing PET sheet production and thermoforming infrastructure, with processing adjustments assessed for each application.
PET recycling compatibility. TCEP has endorsed Akestra™ 100 and 110 for use as external layers in heat-resistant PET trays, confirming that their use does not negatively impact current European PET recycling under the conditions of the endorsement.
Developing the next generation of food packaging is about more than selecting the right material. Perstorp can work with companies across the value chain to connect material and packaging design, processing, performance, compliance and commercial requirements, helping turn the potential of Akestra™ into competitive, fit-for-purpose packaging solutions designed for the evolving PPWR landscape.
Explore Akestra™ for food and beverage packaging.
