France, India and Germany: three countries leading the packaging legislation race

France, India and Germany are at the forefront of packaging regulation, with far-reaching rules covering producer responsibility, plastic waste, recycled content and packaging data.

Packaging Gateway examines why the three markets stand out and what their approaches reveal about the future of packaging legislation.

Packaging legislation is becoming more detailed, wide-ranging and demanding as governments seek to reduce waste, improve recycling and make companies more responsible for the packaging they place on the market.

France, India and Germany stand out as three countries where that transition is particularly advanced. There is no definitive global ranking of packaging legislation, but the breadth and maturity of their regulatory systems put them among the markets driving the shift towards greater producer responsibility and a more circular packaging economy.

They have taken markedly different approaches. France has developed an extensive extended producer responsibility (EPR) system around producer accountability, consumer information and eco-design.

India has focused heavily on plastic waste, EPR targets and recycled content. Germany has built a highly structured system based on producer registration, packaging data and the financing of waste management.

For packaging producers, brand owners, importers and retailers, the implications go well beyond what happens to packaging after it becomes waste. Legislation can increasingly affect material selection, recycled content, labelling, packaging design, producer fees, data reporting and cross-border sales.

The regulatory landscape is also changing rapidly. In the European Union, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) entered into force in February 2025 and has applied generally since 12 August 2026.

It creates a common framework for packaging and packaging waste across the single market. Germany's new Packaging Law Implementation Act (VerpackDG) also took effect on 12 August 2026.

Together, France, India and Germany provide three examples of how packaging regulation is moving further into product design, supply chains and market access – and of where regulation elsewhere could be heading.

France has developed one of Europe's most extensive EPR systems. Its approach has been shaped by the Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy (AGEC) law, which strengthened producer responsibility and introduced measures designed to prevent waste and encourage circularity.

A central feature is the unique identifier (IDU). Producers covered by an EPR scheme must have an IDU for each relevant EPR category. Issued through France's environmental agency, ADEME, the identifier demonstrates that a producer is registered within the relevant system.