2024: The Legislative Marathon — Parliament and Council Reach Agreement

The journey from proposal to law took two full years of intense negotiation. On 4 March 2024, the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional political agreement — a compromise that kept the regulation's ambition while giving industry a realistic transition path.

Three points of the final compromise deserve special attention from a health perspective. First, restrictions on certain single-use packaging such as condiment sachets and mini toiletries — items with almost no recycling value that end up littering oceans and streets. Second, a requirement for take-away businesses to accept customers' own containers free of charge, cutting disposable waste at the source. Third, and most significant: the agreement limited PFAS — the so-called 'forever chemicals' — in food contact packaging above defined thresholds, directly addressing a class of substances linked to health concerns and environmental persistence.

For food-service buyers across Europe, this was the moment it became clear that compliant packaging would no longer be a niche choice. From 2026 onward, every supplier placing packaging on the EU market would need to prove recyclability, show reduced substance risk, and document compliance. The question was no longer if, but who was ready.

We followed these negotiations closely. The direction confirmed what we already believed: packaging that is safe for human health and gentle on the environment is not a premium extra — it is the new baseline.