What are the five categories of packaging covered under PPWR?

PPWR groups packaging into five main categories, depending on how it is used:

• Sales packaging (primary packaging): The packaging that directly contains the product and reaches the end customer. Examples: a shampoo bottle, a cereal box, or a toothpaste tube.
• Grouped packaging (secondary packaging): Packaging that holds multiple sales units together without changing the product itself. Examples: the cardboard box holding six toothpaste cartons or the plastic wrap around a pack of soft drink cans.
• Transport packaging (tertiary packaging): Packaging used to protect and move goods during storage and transport. Road, rail, ship and air containers, such as shipping containers, are not transport packaging under the PPWR. Examples: pallets, stretch wrap, and large shipping cartons.
• E-commerce packaging: Packaging specifically used to deliver products sold online. Examples: courier boxes, mailing envelopes, protective cushioning, and packing fillers used for online orders.
• Service packaging: Packaging that is filled at the point of sale. Examples: takeaway coffee cups, disposable food containers, paper bags, and plates used by restaurants, cafés, or food stalls.

So the PPWR covers the packaging used to group, transport, deliver and serve a product, as well as the pack around it.