IFCO SYSTEMS announced that its reusable packaging solutions are fully aligned with the requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which enters into force on 12 August 2026.

The company says its Declaration of Conformity provides retailers, growers, producers and pooling partners with the technical documentation needed to demonstrate compliance with the new regulation.

📦 Circular reuse already operating at scale

Rather than preparing for future requirements, IFCO points to an established reuse infrastructure. In Europe alone, its reusable packaging containers (RPCs) completed more than 1.9 billion circulation cycles in 2025, demonstrating large-scale commercial reuse across the fresh food supply chain.

According to IFCO, its reusable containers already exceed several PPWR-related requirements:

✔️ Average 39% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in 2025, ahead of the regulation's future recycled-content targets.

✔️ Closed-loop remanufacturing through the IFCO SmartCycle, with RPCs designed for up to 120 reuse cycles before being recycled into new containers.

✔️ Compliance with REACH requirements and production without PFAS. IFCO's European Lift Lock RPCs also renewed their Cradle to Cradle Certified® Full Scope Silver certification for 2026.

✔️ Industrial washing and disinfection after every trip, supported by independent verification to ensure food safety.

📊 The company also highlighted peer-reviewed environmental assessments showing that, compared with single-use cardboard packaging, its RPC system can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 62%, water consumption by up to 80%, energy use by up to 64%, and packaging waste by up to 96%.

A 2025 Fraunhofer IML study further found that reusable packaging containers can reduce fresh produce damage by up to 98%, helping lower food waste across the supply chain.

🔍 Beyond regulatory compliance, IFCO integrates digital traceability through BLE, RFID and GRAI technologies, enabling partners to monitor asset movements, temperatures, transit times and reuse cycles without dedicated scanning infrastructure.

The announcement comes as companies across Europe prepare for the implementation of the PPWR, making reusable and traceable packaging systems increasingly important for the fresh food supply chain.

Source: IFCO