Packaging, waste, and sustainability in the warehouse
Why boxes, plastic film and pallets have become an environmental requirement, not just a work tool
Introduction
A warehouse handles huge amounts of packaging every single day — cardboard boxes pallets stretch film tape and filling material. All that packaging is covered by rules that are getting stricter year by year because packaging waste is one of the largest sources of unnecessary waste in the entire supply chain. As a warehouse worker you are one of those who in practice determines whether the rules are followed.
The EU packaging regulation now applies
From 12 August 2026, the EU packaging regulation applies, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (often called PPWR). On the same day, the old packaging directive from 1994 (94/62/EC) was repealed, with a few transitional rules (art. 70-71). A regulation applies directly and equally in all EU countries — without each country first having to write it into its own law. The aim is less packaging waste, more recycling and binding requirements for how much packaging is actually recycled.
Recycling targets for packaging waste
| Material | By 31-12-2025 | By 31-12-2030 |
|---|---|---|
| All packaging combined | 65 % | 70 % |
| Plastic | 50 % | 55 % |
| Wood | 25 % | 30 % |
| Ferrous metals (iron and steel) | 70 % | 80 % |
| Aluminum | 50 % | 60 % |
| Glass | 70 % | 75 % |
| Paper and cardboard | 75 % | 85 % |
The targets are in Article 52 of the regulation and are the same as those that already applied under the packaging directive. They are binding on the countries, and to meet them, requirements are placed on both producers and businesses that handle packaging — including warehouses.
If the warehouse handles food, there is a new rule to know: From 12 August 2026, food packaging must not be placed on the market if it contains PFAS above the regulation's limit values (art. 5(5)). PFAS is a large group of chemicals that are very hard to break down.
Extended producer responsibility and deposit
The rules are based on the principle of extended producer responsibility: the manufacturer of packaging is responsible for it being collected and recycled or reused after the product has been used. In Denmark, the deposit system for beverage packaging is administered by Dansk Retursystem, where manufacturers pay a fee that covers the handling through the deposit system. The same logic – that someone is responsible for the packaging's entire life cycle – underlies the rules for transport packaging in general.
The warehouse's daily contribution
- 01Sort packaging waste correctly: cardboard, plastic film, and wooden pallets separately.
- 02Reuse transport packaging where it is safe for product protection.
- 03Choose a box in the right size, so that less filling material is used.
- 04Keep deposit packaging and pallets separate so they can return in the cycle.
Sustainability in the warehouse is not about big, symbolic gestures — it is about the many small, daily choices about packaging and sorting that warehouse staff make several times an hour. With stricter EU requirements, that skill will only become more sought after.