The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is about to take effect in August 2026. It requires food-contact plastic packaging to contain no less than 30% post-consumer recycled resin (PCR), and relevant standards for non-food packaging will be fully implemented by 2030. Meanwhile, the content of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is strictly limited to below 25 ppb, and non-compliant products will be rejected directly. Domestically, GB/T 44210-2024 General Technical Requirements for Green Packaging Materials sets mandatory caps on raw material consumption, water and energy use, and bans composite structures that hinder recycling.

Driven by relevant policies, the whole industry is speeding up green transformation. Leading companies are actively building closed-loop recycling systems. The annual processing capacity of high-strength packaging film recycling reached 480,000 tons in 2025, nearly doubling compared with 2022. The production capacity of degradable films has exceeded 3.8 million tons, and PLA and PBAT materials are increasingly used in express and takeaway packaging.

Nevertheless, challenges remain. The recycling rate of waste films is less than 25%, and multi-layer composite films are hard to sort. There is a supply gap of 170,000 tons for food-grade recycled materials, leading to higher compliance costs.

The industry reaches a consensus that environmental protection and compliance have become basic requirements for domestic competition and overseas expansion. Building a full industrial chain covering R&D, production, recycling and reprocessing will be the core development strategy for enterprises in the long run.