Cardboard or plastic packaging: how to choose correctly under PPWR

Cardboard is not automatically greener than plastic, and plastic is not automatically non-compliant. When you choose packaging for a product, the right decision depends on three criteria: product protection, transported weight and what happens to the packaging at the end of its life. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40) makes these criteria more important than ever, because they directly affect your EPR costs.

What PPWR changes for material choice

PPWR applies from 12 August 2026 and replaces the Packaging Directive. For companies that place packaged products on the market, two rules matter most:

Recyclability. From 1 January 2030, only packaging with a recyclability grade of A, B or C can be placed on the market (A means over 95% recyclable, B over 80%, C over 70%). The technical details will be set in secondary legislation, so it is worth following the final timeline.
Recycled content. From 2030, plastic packaging must include a minimum share of post-consumer recycled plastic, which depends on the packaging type (for example 30% for single use PET beverage bottles and 35% for other plastic packaging without sensitive food contact).

EPR comes on top of this. EPR means extended producer responsibility. As a producer or importer of packaging, you are responsible for the packaging you place on the market: you register, report quantities and pay the fee for collection and recycling. The harder the packaging is to recycle, the higher your cost can be.

When to choose cardboard

Cardboard is a good choice in three situations:

Rigid products that do not need a moisture barrier.
Transport in stackable boxes that are easy to palletise.
Collection in the paper stream, which has mature recycling infrastructure.

The disadvantages appear in other situations. Moisture weakens cardboard. Contact with grease requires a protective layer, and note that PPWR restricts PFAS substances in food packaging, so classic barrier solutions must be checked. Cardboard can also add weight per pallet, which increases transport cost and emissions.

When to choose plastic

Plastic remains the right choice when you need:

A barrier against moisture or oxygen.
Transparency, so the product is visible.
Minimum weight, for more efficient transport.

Here, the compliant choice is not virgin plastic. The solution is recycled plastic. For example, ReFlex is recycled plastic certified under GRS (Global Recycled Standard), with a post-consumer content between 10% and 100%. You can choose the percentage that covers the 2030 recycled content target for your packaging, starting today. GRS certification also helps with the documentary proof needed in an audit.

The practical design rule: mono-material

If you remember only one rule, remember this one: design packaging from a single material. Mono-material packaging is much easier to sort and recycle, so it has a better chance of reaching grade A, B or C.

Combinations of cardboard and glued plastic receive weak recyclability grades. A clear example is a cardboard box with a window made of non-separable film. Today it looks good on the shelf, but it is exactly the type of packaging that becomes expensive after 2030: either it can no longer be placed on the market, or it costs more through EPR. If the film can be easily removed by the consumer, the situation is different, but it must be checked case by case.

How to decide, step by step

List all the packaging you place on the market: primary, secondary and transport.
For each item, note the material, the weight and whether it has layers or glued components.
Check what protection the product needs (moisture, grease, oxygen, impact).
Identify multi-material packaging and assess a mono-material option.
For plastic, calculate the recycled content you need and compare it with GRS certified options.
Estimate the impact on your EPR fee and on transport.

Conclusion

There is no single winning material for every product. The winner is the packaging that protects the product with as little material as possible, is mono-material and has a clear recycling stream. If you start now, you have time to change the design without pressure and without emergency costs in 2029.

How ECONOS can help

ECONOS helps you move from theory to concrete decisions: we analyse your packaging portfolio, estimate recyclability grades, identify PPWR risks and optimise your EPR costs. We also train your team, so you can manage compliance on your own over time.