EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR): Requirements for Labels & Thermal Transfer Ribbons

The EU Packaging Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, known as the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), establishes a uniform European legal framework for packaging and packaging waste. The goal of the regulation is to reduce packaging waste, improve the recyclability of packaging, and make the use of resources within the European Union more sustainable.

This creates new requirements for companies that manufacture, distribute, or use packaging. Labels, adhesives, printing inks, thermal transfer ribbons, and other packaging components can also play an important role in the assessment of packaging.

As a manufacturer and supplier of labeling and identification solutions, we support our customers with up-to-date product information and documentation. On this page, you will find information on the PPWR compliance of our labels and thermal transfer ribbons, as well as on relevant topics such as REACH, PFAS, heavy metals, recycled content, and recyclability.

PPWR Compliance for Labels and Labeling Solutions

Labels are often an integral part of packaging and must therefore be taken into account in the overall assessment of the packaging. The label material alone is not the only decisive factor. Factors such as adhesive, printing ink, label size, backing material, and the specific type of packaging can also influence the recyclability of the finished packaging.

For example, a self-adhesive label on a plastic bottle places different demands on recycling processes than a label on cardboard packaging. A blanket statement regarding the recyclability of a single label is therefore not sufficient in every application. Rather, the interaction of all packaging components used must be considered.

Our customer information helps you understand how the materials we supply fit into this context.

REACH, PFAS, and Heavy Metals

In addition to the requirements of the PPWR, other regulatory and material-related information is important for many companies. For our blank labels and thermal transfer ribbons, we therefore provide an up-to-date REACH, PFAS, and heavy metals confirmation document that includes PPWR customer information.

The document contains information on important regulatory and material-related aspects of our products. These include, among others:

• REACH compliance
• Information on PFAS
• Details on heavy metals
• Thermal transfer ink and adhesive
• Recycled content in relation to the PPWR
• Labels on bottles and cardboard packaging
• Assessment of the recyclability of the overall packaging

This provides companies with a centralized information base for internal assessments, customer documentation, and communication within their supply chain.

Recyclability of Labels and Packaging

The recyclability of packaging is a central component of the PPWR. When conducting an assessment, packaging should always be considered as a complete system. A label may be just one of several components in this system.

Material combinations, adhesives, coatings, and printing inks can affect how well individual materials can be separated and recycled in the respective recycling process. Therefore, the specific application is crucial.

Our PPWR customer information helps you compile relevant product information for evaluating your individual packaging solution. However, the final assessment of a complete packaging’s PPWR compliance must always take into account all components used and the intended use.

Download the Latest PPWR Customer Information

We provide our customers with the latest REACH, PFAS, and heavy metal compliance statements, along with PPWR customer information, as a PDF. This document compiles key information about our blank labels and thermal transfer ribbons and can be used for internal documentation as well as for sharing relevant product information.

Document: INFO-PPWR-2026-001
Version: 1.2
Date: July 22, 2026