EU packaging rules: Lankan exporters urged to act

Sri Lankan exporters have been urged to step up preparations to comply with new European Union packaging regulations that could have significant implications for continued access to the lucrative EU market.

The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which entered into force in February 2025, began applying generally from August 12, 2026. The regulation introduces binding requirements covering recyclability, recycled plastic content, packaging reuse, harmonised labelling, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and traceability for packaging placed on the EU market, including imports from Sri Lanka.

The new requirements are expected to particularly affect Sri Lankan exporters in the tea, spices, seafood, processed food, beverage and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, as well as packaging manufacturers supplying export-oriented industries.

Businesses will need to review packaging designs, materials, sourcing arrangements, supplier traceability, certification and sustainability reporting to meet the new requirements. Failure to adapt could result in higher compliance costs, supply chain disruptions, reduced competitiveness and, potentially, loss of market access.

More than 100 representatives from Sri Lankan businesses, packaging manufacturers, printing and related industries, government institutions, industry associations, certification bodies and development partners participated in a two-day seminar on the PPWR held in Colombo on July 13 and 14.

The seminar was organised with support from the European Union through the CIRCULAR – Circular Economy in the Food Sector Project, jointly implemented by Expertise France, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Addressing the event, Dr Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka, stressed that early preparation would be essential for businesses to adapt to the new requirements and maintain access to the European market.

International experts at the seminar provided practical guidance on the regulation’s five key areas — recyclability, recycled content, reuse, harmonised labelling and waste prevention — while outlining the operational changes required by exporters.

Participants also examined key regulatory deadlines, including restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food-contact packaging from August 2026 and requirements for tea bags and selected packaging formats to be industrially compostable from February 2028.

The seminar also focused on packaging redesign, sustainable material selection, supplier due diligence, certification, traceability and technical documentation. Through case studies and compliance-mapping exercises, businesses assessed their packaging portfolios and identified priority measures for meeting the new standards.

Nishan Perera, President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging, said understanding the complex EU requirements was particularly important for Sri Lanka’s export-oriented food and packaging industries.

The CIRCULAR Project supports Sri Lanka’s transition towards a circular economy by addressing food loss and waste and reducing single-use plastic pollution while promoting sustainable production, innovation and collaboration across the food value chain.