Navigating Sustainable Packaging In South Africa: Lessons from Europe

Sustainable packaging is no longer marketing vague “eco-friendly” claims anymore, the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has come into force, and suddenly every choice from material, label, adhesive, and recycled content is under scrutiny.

In January 2025, the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on Packaging and Packaging Waste, setting a global benchmark for packaging sustainability. While its jurisdiction is European, its ripple effect is global.

South Africa is not watching from the sidelines. Through the already gazetted Packaging Guideline: Recyclability by Design for packaging and paper in South Africa (DFFE, 2023). Our EPR regulations, recyclability standards, and labelling laws are already aligning with European thinking. Whether you export or serve only the local market, these rules signal the direction of the entire packaging industry.

The PPWR aims to ensure that all packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2030, and recyclable at scale by 2035. It forms part of the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan, reshaping how packaging is designed, used, and recovered.

Key requirements include:

• Design for recyclability: all packaging will be graded from A to C. Below a certain grade gets banned from certain dates.
• Mandatory recycled content: plastic packaging must contain defined percentages of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material.
• Packaging minimisation: weight and volume must be reduced; empty space in grouped or e-commerce packaging cannot exceed 50%.
• Toxic substance restrictions: hazardous chemicals such as PFAS and BPA face strict limits.
• Unified labelling: harmonised recycling symbols and digital tracking (QR codes) will improve consumer understanding and collection efficiency.

From February 2025, the PPWR begins its phased implementation, with full application from August 2026. By 2030, all packaging sold in the EU must be recyclable in an economically viable way (European Union, 2025).

The regulation follows a clear step-by-step transition approach:

• 2025–2026: Legal adoption and transitional compliance period.
• 2030: All packaging must be recyclable by design.
• 2035: Packaging must be recyclable at scale in real recycling systems.
• Post-2038: Poor-performing recyclability grades fall away completely.

This staged rollout gives industry time to adjust, but it also locks in the direction of travel for global packaging standards.

Europe’s fibre sector has moved quickly to align with these rules. The 4evergreen Alliance’s Circularity by Design Guideline (2024), the industry’s blueprint for fibre-based packaging, lays out how materials will be graded under the PPWR system.

It emphasises:

• Material separability and purity, ensuring that coatings, laminates, and adhesives don’t disrupt recycling.
• Simplified composition, with fewer non-fibre components for higher yield in paper mills.
• Ease of dismantling, enabling quick removal of plastic films, linings, or other disruptors.

For South Africa, where fibre packaging is often seen as a “green” by default, these details matter. A laminated or heavily coated fibre tray that cannot be pulped or separated efficiently may lose its recyclability grade. This is why we’re partnered with Fiber Circle to ensure that we work together to help meet these requirements.

The PPWR doesn’t ban plastics, but it does demand accountability. Packaging must be mono-material, recyclable at scale, and, where possible, include post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

The Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904/EC), already in force, continues to shape the plastics landscape. It bans items like EPS food containers, cutlery, plates, and straws, and sets performance targets such as:

• 30% recycled content in PET bottles by 2030.

For plastic packaging, the EU’s global message is clear: design smarter, not heavier. The focus is on automation, material purity, and traceability, exactly where leading global food and produce brands are investing.

Europe’s recyclability criteria dive deeper than material type, they assess adhesives, inks, and coatings. Regulation (EU) 2025/351, effective March 2025, introduces strict purity and migration limits, requiring migration testing for all adhesives to ensure no harmful substances migrate into food beyond certain figures (European Union, 2025).

Label design also affects recyclability:

• PP labels are ideal for separation in sink-float tanks.
• PET labels should be thin, with wash-off adhesives to ensure clean detachment.
• Avoid metallised or multilayer labels, which reduce yield.

These technical choices often decide whether a pack achieves grade A or grade C recyclability – and therefore, whether it will be allowed in the EU market after cutoff date.

Compostable packaging has a role in Europe, but only a small strategic one. The PPWR limits compostability to cases where it adds real environmental value, such as:

• Tea bags and coffee pods.
• Sticky produce labels.
• Lightweight bags aiding organic waste collection.

For most other packaging types, recycling is preferred. Compostables often contaminate recycling streams and lack consistent industrial composting infrastructure.

South Africa mirrors these concerns. The Moss Group’s 2020 review highlights that compostable packaging is rarely collected or processed at scale, with limited industrial composting and low consumer understanding (Moss Group, 2020).

At Yucca Packaging, we specialise in paper, plastics, and compostables. We’ve remained cautious and selective with compostables working with bagasse mainly, and PLA on a request basis. Sustainability must be accountable, credible and circular.

• Water-based inks are used across both our PET and paper-based packaging ranges to reduce solvent contamination and improve recyclability outcomes.
• Wash-off adhesives are used on our labels to ensure clean separation during caustic washing, improving recycled output yield.
• All new batches of raw materials undergo NIAS testing to ensure maximum purity and food-contact safety under strict migration limits.

These measures are not future intentions; they’re already active within our current standards.

South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations (effective May 2021) have established the foundation for a more accountable system. Producers and partners of EPRs are now responsible for the collection, recycling, and recovery of their packaging.

Key milestones include:

• 2021: EPR takes effect – initial post-consumer recycled targets (8% for single-use plastics).
• 2023: Implementation of SANS 1728, mandating material identification codes and banning vague claims like “eco-friendly” without verified testing.
• 2025: 70% collection target for PET bottles; ongoing alignment with EU PPWR standards.
• 2030: All packaging must be recyclable by design, matching the EU’s recyclability goal.

SANS 1728 defines how packaging must be labelled, identified, and verified. It aligns with ISO 14021, ensuring environmental claims are transparent and verifiable (DFFE, 2023). Misleading marketing is prohibited under the Consumer Protection Act (No. 68 of 2008), which forbids false or deceptive environmental representations.

Industry organisations such as Fiber Circle, Polyco (our EPR partners), PETCO, and SAPRO have built strong EPR ecosystems. SAPRO’s “Design for Recycling” initiative, funded by the Nedbank Green Trust, defines recyclability as materials achieving a minimum 30% output recycling rate in practice – reinforcing that packaging must be recycled in reality, not just in theory (SAPRO, 2021).

Europe’s experience offers valuable guidance for sustainable packaging in South Africa, especially those exporting or aspiring to global standards:

• Design for recyclability first: plan for grade A or B recyclability now. Choose mono-materials and ensure adhesives and labels are easily separable.
• Integrate post-consumer recycled (PCR) content responsibly: use verified post-consumer materials that meet global food safety standards.
• Minimise packaging and empty space: the EU’s 50% empty-space limit promotes resource efficiency, a principle that reduces cost and emissions everywhere.
• Avoid greenwashing: prioritise recyclability. Choose compostables only where appropriate certifications and industrial systems exist. Label packaging clearly in line with SANS 1728.
• Prepare for EPR cost modulation: eco-modulated fees are coming. Recyclable designs will pay less; complex, non-recyclable ones will pay more.

Sustainability isn’t just about compliance; it’s about creating solutions that perform sustainably for business, people, and planet. At Yucca Packaging, we design packaging that bridges global quality with local practicality, helping food service, processing, and agricultural businesses thrive responsibly.

Our expertise spans:

• Paper and fibre: recyclable at scale and mill-compatible.
• Plastics (rPET, PP, PET): recyclable at scale.
• Compostables: used selectively on request.

Through custom design, technical precision, and transparent communication, we help global clients transition confidently into the era of circular packaging, balancing innovation, performance, compliance, and sustainability in every solution.

This blog reflects the views and interpretations of Yucca Packaging, intended to support decisions regarding packaging procurement. It does not constitute legal or regulatory advice.

4evergreen Alliance. (2024). Circularity by Design Guideline for Fibre-Based Packaging, Version 3 (October). Brussels: 4evergreen.

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). (2023). Packaging Guideline: Recyclability by Design for Packaging and Paper in South Africa. Government Gazette No. 48845, 26 June. Pretoria: Government Printer.

European Union. (2025). Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 22 January.

European Union. (2025). Regulation (EU) 2025/351 of 24 January 2025 on Migration Testing and Adhesive Purity Standards. Official Journal of the European Union.

Moss Group. (2020). Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging: A Review of the South African Landscape. Johannesburg: SA Initiative to End Plastic Waste.

SAPRO. (2021). Design for Recycling Guideline. Cape Town: South African Plastics Recycling Organisation.