Packaging Facing New Requirements
The sixth Ambipak Conference, “The Future of Packaging: Sustainable Transformation”, brought together more than 150 representatives of packaging manufacturers and users, the retail sector, the recycling industry, institutions and the professional community. Held on 1 October 2026 at the Belgrade Fair, the conference focused on the changes that European legislation, new technologies and circular economy requirements are bringing to the packaging industry.
PPWR Is Changing the Rules of Business
One of the central topics of the conference was the implementation of the European Union Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation – PPWR (EU Regulation 2025/40), which has applied in the European Union since 12 August 2026.
The panel “Between Regulation and Practice: Compliance with PPWR Requirements” addressed the initial challenges of implementing the new regulation, the obligations of different actors in the value chain, declarations of conformity and technical documentation, as well as the financial implications of the new requirements for packaging manufacturers and users.
A particular challenge for the domestic economy is posed by the requirements of customers from the European Union, which directly affect Serbian exporters as well. The need for increased laboratory capacity in Serbia to test packaging properties was also highlighted, including the presence of certain substances and heavy metals, as well as recyclability and compostability.
Standards as Support for Compliance
For the Institute for Standardization of Serbia, the EN 18120 series of standards, Design for Recycling of Plastic Packaging, published by CEN/TC 261 in 2026, is of particular importance.
This series of standards is expected to serve as a basis for European Commission guidelines for the process of assessing the recyclability of plastic packaging, in accordance with the requirements of the PPWR, with their publication expected by 1 January 2028.
The availability of relevant standards and test methods in Serbian could further contribute to strengthening the capacity of domestic businesses and laboratories to respond to new market requirements.
The Institute for Standardization of Serbia was represented at the conference by Branka Tomašević, Secretary of the Standards Committee KS Z261-5, Packaging, while the Chair of the Committee, Prof. Dr Senka Popović, participated as a panellist in the panel dedicated to compliance with PPWR requirements.
From Sustainability to Circularity
The conference programme included three panels, an introductory presentation and lectures addressing the strategic challenges facing the packaging industry, digital solutions for packaging collection, packaging waste flows, recycling and the deposit return system.
The latest developments concerning materials and articles intended to come into contact with food were also discussed, as well as requirements relating to recycled content in food-contact-sensitive plastic packaging.
Under the PPWR requirements, the minimum recycled content in different categories of plastic packaging will increase further over the coming years. For certain categories of packaging, targets will apply from 2030, with even stricter requirements taking effect from 2040.
The conference thus demonstrated that the issue of packaging sustainability is increasingly moving from the level of commitments and strategies to the level of specific requirements, demonstration of compliance and the application of appropriate technical solutions.
New Requirements – A New Role for Standards
For the Standards Committee KS Z261-5, Packaging, which follows the work of European CEN/TC 261 and international ISO/TC 122, the conference provided an opportunity to exchange information on the needs of businesses and laboratories and to identify the next steps in the field of packaging standardization.
In this context, the next steps include consideration of the status of adoption of the EN 18120 series and the possibility of its further inclusion in the Committee's work programme, as well as an assessment of the need to make certain parts of the standards available in Serbian.
The Ambipak Conference confirmed that compliance with new European requirements will be one of the key challenges for the packaging industry in the period ahead, while standards will play an important role in providing technical support to businesses, laboratories and other actors throughout the value chain.
