PPWR Recyclability Grades A, B and C Explained
How the A/B/C scale is scored, what it does to your EPR fees, and what to fix before 2030
The PPWR grades packaging by how much of it can be recovered as secondary raw material: Grade A is 95 percent or higher, Grade B 80 percent or higher, Grade C 70 percent or higher. From 1 January 2030 anything scoring below 70 percent is banned from the EU market, and from 1 January 2038 Grade C is banned as well.
A good grade keeps your products on the market and lowers your compliance bills. A failing grade means your packaging is legally banned.
Key takeaways
- The grade is set by recyclability by weight – 95 percent or more for A, 80 for B, 70 for C.
- From 2030 the floor is Grade C. From 2038 only Grades A and B may be placed on the market.
- Adhesives, labels, coatings and inks all count towards the score. A non-washable glue can drop a simple paper mailer from Grade A to failing.
What are the PPWR recyclability grades?
Under Article 6 of the Packaging Waste Regulation, all packaging placed on the EU market must be recyclable. To enforce this, the European Union has created a grading system based on how much of the packaging unit can be successfully recovered as secondary raw material.
From 1 January 2030, your packaging must achieve at least a Grade C. If it scores below 70 percent, it is classed as technically non-recyclable and banned from the market. Eight years later, the law tightens again, completely eliminating Grade C packaging.
The Annex II recyclability performance grade scale you must meet is:
| Grade | Recyclability performance by weight | Status from 1 January 2030 | Status from 1 January 2038 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A | 95 percent or higher | Compliant | Compliant |
| Grade B | 80 percent or higher | Compliant | Compliant |
| Grade C | 70 percent or higher | Compliant | Banned from the market |
| Failing | Lower than 70 percent | Banned from the market | Banned from the market |
What is the difference between "designed for recycling" and "recycled at scale"?
Many sellers confuse the theoretical recyclability of their packaging with what happens in the real world. The PPWR separates these into two distinct milestones.
The 2030 deadline is strictly about being designed for recycling. This means your packaging is technically capable of being recycled based on its material properties. If your materials clear the design requirements in the PPWR timeline, you can legally sell them.
However, from 1 January 2035, your packaging must also be recycled at scale. This means the physical infrastructure to collect, sort, and process your specific packaging format must actually exist and operate commercially across the European Union. A composite material that works perfectly in a laboratory but cannot be processed by standard municipal waste facilities will lose its compliant status.
How will recyclability grades change your EPR fees?
Right now, you pay Extended Producer Responsibility fees to national Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) based on the weight and material of your packaging. Many countries already use their own national eco-modulation tiers to penalise bad design. For example, Denmark currently applies a 35 percent malus surcharge on poorly recyclable materials, and France operates a complex bonus-malus system through Citeo.
The PPWR will replace this fragmented approach with a harmonised framework. Once the grades apply in 2030, national fee modulation is tied to the EU recyclability performance grades rather than each country's own tiers, which is one of the clearest points where the difference between EPR and the PPWR stops being academic and starts showing up on an invoice.
If you achieve a Grade A, you will receive a financial discount. If you scrape by with a Grade C, expect to pay surcharge fees until the format is banned entirely in 2038.
If tracking material weights and calculating fees across different countries is currently breaking your spreadsheets, see how Gramta automates it.
What determines a recyclability grade in practice?
Your grade is not just about the primary material. The official parameters for design for recycling criteria evaluate every single component of your packaging unit.
To hit that 95 percent Grade A threshold, you must look closely at:
- Adhesives: Non-washable glues contaminate recycling streams. Washable adhesives ensure clean separation and protect your grade.
- Labels and sleeves: A large plastic sleeve on a PET bottle can confuse optical sorting machines and render the underlying material invisible to scanners.
- Barriers and coatings: Grease-resistant coatings and multi-material barriers often make packaging impossible to recycle mechanically.
- Colours and inks: Heavily dyed plastics or papers downgrade the quality of the recycled output, lowering your score significantly.
The presence of non-washable adhesives, heavy dyes, and barrier coatings can drop a simple paper mailer from a Grade A to a market-banned failing score.
What should you do right now in 2026?
Do not wait until the end of the decade to figure out if your packaging passes the test. To prove your grade, you will need detailed material data from your suppliers.
Start by asking your manufacturers for the PPWR technical documentation for your packaging today. You need exact breakdowns of adhesive types, ink coverage, and polymer densities. If you find out a supplier uses a non-compliant barrier layer, you have time to source an alternative before it becomes a market access issue. Getting your PPWR compliance sorted as an importer means building this evidence trail now.
Stop guessing your packaging fees and stressing over compliance deadlines. Turn your real e-commerce orders into filing-ready reports instantly. Get started with Gramta.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the minimum recyclability grade under the PPWR?
- From 1 January 2030, all packaging must achieve at least a Grade C, meaning it is 70 percent recyclable by weight. Packaging below this threshold cannot be placed on the EU market.
- When does the PPWR ban Grade C packaging?
- From 1 January 2038, the rules tighten and Grade C packaging will be banned. Only packaging that achieves Grade A or Grade B will be permitted on the market.
- What is the difference between designed for recycling and recycled at scale?
- Designed for recycling is a 2030 requirement focusing on the material composition of the packaging. Recycled at scale is a 2035 requirement ensuring the packaging is actually collected, sorted, and recycled in practice across the EU.
Reviewed by Anton Kröger