Polski
Eco-Claims Under Scrutiny, Nestlé Cuts Back on Plastic: What's New in Packaging
This week in the packaging industry is all about regulation and concrete commitments. On one hand, the European Union is now requiring brands to back up every "eco" claim on their labels; on the other, one of the FMCG giants is showing what cutting virgin plastic use actually looks like in practice. For the industry, it's a signal that the coming months will be dominated by label audits and reviews of packaging strategy — both from a legal and an image standpoint. Let's take a closer look at what's changing.
01 · Law and Labeling
No More Empty "Eco" Claims on Packaging [1]
As of September 27, 2026, the EmpCo Directive (2024/825) is in force across the entire European Union, explicitly banning vague environmental claims — such as "eco," "green," or "biodegradable" — on packaging and in advertising, unless a company can support them with recognized, measurable evidence of environmental performance. This marks the end of the era of claims made "on a hunch": every statement about eco-friendliness now needs solid backing, ideally in the form of a certificate or independent study, rather than just the marketing department's good intentions.
Notably, Poland has not yet fully transposed the new rules into national law, but the regulation applies regardless — EU rules take effect independently of how quickly implementing legislation moves. In practice, this means that brands in the FMCG, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and food sectors should already be reviewing their labels, packaging, and marketing materials for greenwashing, before a regulator, a competitor, or a customer armed with a smartphone and a spare moment does it for them. For packaging manufacturers and printing houses, this is also a signal to brace for a wave of requests to revise graphic designs and label copy — it's worth bringing the legal department into the process at the design stage, rather than right before a product launch.
02 · Sustainability
Nestlé Bets on Recycling and Paper Instead of Plastic [2]
From a completely different angle, Nestlé has taken on the plastic issue by updating its global packaging strategy. The company has announced it will cut virgin plastic use by 12–17% by 2030, compared to its 2018 baseline. The goal is to be achieved mainly through a higher share of recycled materials — which currently make up 21% of the plastic packaging it uses — along with an overall reduction in plastic use and the expansion of reusable and refill solutions.
Nestlé has also joined the PaperFlex consortium, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is working on paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging. This is a clear signal of where suppliers of films and laminates may be headed — demand for cellulose-fiber-based flexible packaging materials is likely to grow faster than before, and manufacturers of flexible packaging, along with recycling and waste management companies, should start preparing for this trend now rather than waiting for large-scale orders to arrive. For European suppliers of flexible packaging and recycled plastics processors, including those in Poland, this points to rising demand for materials that meet increasingly strict requirements for recycled content.
03
Two Signals, One Direction
Both of this week's stories, though rooted in different areas — law and corporate strategy — point to the same conclusion: packaging today must be designed and described with full accountability for the environmental claims it makes. Simply aiming to "be eco" is no longer enough — what's needed is evidence, data, and real changes across the supply chain, from material selection to label copy. It's also worth remembering that these two trends — tighter regulation and commitments from the biggest market players — tend to go hand in hand: what is a voluntary corporate pledge today may become a regulatory obligation for the entire industry tomorrow. Companies already investing in recycled materials and paper-based alternatives will have an easier time when similar requirements reach other markets.
If you'd like to talk about how to roll out labels that comply with the new regulations, proven recycled materials, or paper alternatives to flexible packaging, join us at Packaging Poland – International Trade Fair of Finished Packaging. It's the place where suppliers, brands, and experts come together to find answers to the questions the market is asking today.
Invitation
Want to know how to prepare labels that comply with the EmpCo Directive and where to source materials with a high recycled content? Visit Packaging Poland – International Trade Fair of Finished Packaging, where you'll meet packaging suppliers, legal experts, and recycling companies. It's a chance to get ahead of the curve and adapt your labels and materials to new legal requirements and growing demand for recycled raw materials.
Packaging Poland 2026