The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will become concrete from August 2026 – but not all companies are ready by a long shot. Dr. Thomas Gröner, founder of TG Pack Solutions and former R&D Director at RKW Group, sees significant deficits in the industry at interpack 2026.
Major gaps in PFAS limits
„I'm actually surprised that so many are still unprepared for the PFAS limits in spring ’26,“ explains Gröner. Smaller companies, in particular, are having difficulties as they lack the personnel for this complex topic. While packaging manufacturers are already well-positioned, significant deficits are still evident among manufacturers of branded goods.
The consequences are drastic: „From 12 August, new materials must be used. Otherwise, they can forget about packaging materials or they will not be allowed to market their packaged goods.“ This elevates the PPWR from a regulatory background topic to an immediate sales issue.
Paper versus plastic: feel beats science
Gröner sees another area of tension in the discussion about sustainable materials. „Consumers think paper is cool,“ he sums it up. However, the scientific findings from lifecycle analyses often paint a different picture. „If I replace a 40-gram mono-PE film with reasonable barrier properties with 60 grams of paper with perhaps a 10-gram coating, then from a sustainability perspective, that's not a good idea.“
Despite this, the trend towards paper is unstoppable. The challenge lies in communicating to consumers when each material is actually the better choice – an educational issue that cannot be solved by pure marketing messages.
Community solutions instead of lone wolf behaviour
External advice is gaining importance in this complex environment. „Consulting provides resources that are not always available within the company at the time,“ says Gröner. The decisive advantage: independence and an outside perspective.
Looking to the future, Gröner sees the necessity of collective approaches: „This isn't something a branded goods manufacturer can do alone, or a converter alone. It's best to collectively seek solutions.“ Machine builders would also need to be involved, as new materials would run differently on the machinery. His prognosis for interpack 2029: „We will be significantly further ahead regarding recyclability and recycled content – but will again have exactly the same last-minute panic.“
