The European Union has recently approved the updating of its packaging regulations. This legislation prohibits the placing on the market of certain single-use plastics and imposes mandatory percentages of recycled material for commercial and industrial packaging. The entry into force of these directives directly changes the export operations of coffee, as it requires agencies to make technical changes in the bags, protective coatings and final packaging.

Contents Index

1. The PWR Regulation Chronogram: Key milestones
2. Operational Impact and Change Pressure on Exporter
3. Extended Producer Responsibility (REP)
4. Common Questions (FAQ)
5. Related Articles

1. The PWR Regulation Chronogram: Key milestones

To ensure the access of our coffee to the European market and to avoid customs retention, it is essential to audit logistics materials (such as liners for green coffee and sacks) against new obligations. We suggest that we consult the regulation to verify the exact dates of entry into force of each of these points:

• Evaluation of Conformity, Tracability and REP Registration:A formal technical conformity assessment procedure and an EU Declaration of Conformity are required. In addition, the register of Extended Producer Responsibility (REP) is required in each Member State of destination. We recommend that you consult the regulations to know the storage time required for these technical files.
• Chemical restrictions:Packages in contact with the agricultural product are subject to new limits and restrictions on the presence of certain chemicals and heavy metals. It is essential to review the official regulation to identify the specific controlled substances and the permitted maximum concentration thresholds.
• Minimization and Composability:There are new eco-design parameters and compost requirements applicable to the value added offer, such as permeable bags and single portion units. The legal text details the industrial conditions required to certify these materials.
• Empty Space Limits and Recyclability:The logistics consolidation shall be adapted to restrictions on the maximum proportion of permitted empty space in transport, group loading or electronic commerce packaging. The inclusion of minimum percentages of post-consumption recycled material and designs focused on total recyclability will also be required. We suggest reviewing the legal texts to verify the exact percentages required by packaging format.

These are some of the considerations that may be relevant to the coffee exporting sector. However, there are a number of regulations that affect specific products or sectors such as the hotel, supermarkets, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc.

2. Operational impact

Ensuring the technical conformity of European packaging from 2026 is the only way to ensure that the cup profile and the quality of the national coffee reach its buyers without interruption. However, the adequacy of these operational requirements, coupled with the payment of the financial contributions of the REP, represents a strong pressure on the logistical cost structure.

This need for reinvestment is presented at a time when the exporting sector bears a huge financial burden, resulting from the combination between the new international tariff barriers and the strengthening of the exchange rate, a situation that directly punishes the profitability margins of our agencies.

3. Extended Producer Responsibility (REP)

With the entry into force of the regulation, the principle of extended producer responsibility (REP) is strictly monitored in customs. It is essential to clarify that, from the European legal perspective, the weight of this legislation is the "Producer" established in the European Union. For Colombian exporting agencies, this means that legal compliance with the rules must be structured through the European importer or by the official designation of an authorised representative in the country of destination.

This trade articulation requires agencies to ensure, together with their European partners, that three fundamental pillars are met:

• Registration in national registries:It is mandatory for the importer or the designated representative to be officially registered in the REP databases of each Member State where coffee packaging is first introduced. The marketing of the goods is expressly prohibited if there is no such active registration in the relevant jurisdiction.
• Technical data report:The exact volume, weight and type of material of all packaging introduced to the European market, including both transport and final packaging, should be collected, maintained and reported annually.
• Financial contributions:Payments for producer responsibility organisations (integrated collective management systems) should be implemented, which will finance the collection, classification and recycling of packaging on European territory, as well as the costs of labelling public waste containers.

4. Common Questions (FAQ)

Does this regulation apply to both green coffee offices and processed coffee packages?Yeah. The legislation covers absolutely all packaging placed on the European Union market, regardless of whether they are intended for industrial and operational transport use (B2B operations, such as green coffee shipments) or whether they are for direct sale to the final consumer (such as roasted or soluble coffee).

Are traditional sacks prohibited under this regulation?No. Natural fibres are not the central objective of the prohibitions applicable to single-use plastics. However, the high barrier internal plastic bags (liners) which are necessarily used to protect the moisture of the grain are strictly regulated. Theselinersplastics must meet the new eco-design standards for their total recyclability, chemical restrictions (PFAS) and the inclusion of minimum recycled content.

Who assumes the legal responsibility to register and pay the fees of the Extended Producer's (REP)?The legal weight of this obligation is exclusively the figure of the "Producer" based on the European territory, which in the context of export is the responsibility of the importer. If a Colombian exporting agency is directly on the market through distance contracts, it is legally required to appoint, by written mandate, an authorised representative established in the European Union to assume operational obligations, volumetric reports and payment of financial contributions.

What happens on a customs basis if the packaging exceeds the limit of 50% of empty space or if the packaging is not recyclable for the limit dates?Compliance with these parameters is a mandatory condition for market access. Packages that do not comply with technical sustainability requirements, such as logistics vacuum space caps or recycling targets by 2030, will not be able to enter the European Union. The customs and commercial surveillance authorities have full powers to freeze the burden, to demand its withdrawal from the market and to impose direct penalties on the responsible economic operators.

5. Related Articles

• What should be taken into account to export coffee to Japan?: Keys to overcome the phytosanitary requirements of Japan and the Asian Market
• Sailing Section 301: Exemption from Coffee and the Future of Exports in a New Global Environment
• Agronomic Transition: The Role of Green Fertilizers in Agro-industrial Competitiveness

In order to deepen the strategies for adapting new international regulations and align the country's trade efforts, we invite all to participate in the90 Coffee Summit,to be held on 5 and 6 November 2026 in Cartagena, Colombia. This will be the main scenario for consolidating our export block and protecting the competitiveness of Colombian coffee against the demands of the global market.

Author:National Association of Coffee Exporters of Colombia

Date of publication:06 August 2026

Last updated:06 August 2026