Italy compostable packaging

Italy’s Compostable Packaging Plan Faces Questions from Brussels

The European Commission has asked Italy to clarify its plan to require compostable materials for selected types of single-use plastic packaging from 2030.

The intervention does not amount to a formal rejection of the Italian proposal. It does, however, raise important questions about whether the measure is compatible with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, known as the PPWR, and the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

At the centre of the debate is a difficult policy question: can compostable plastic provide a useful alternative in sectors where packaging remains necessary, or could it preserve a disposable model that European legislation is attempting to reduce?

What Italy is proposing

Italy notified the European Commission of its draft technical regulation on April 1, 2026.

The proposal would introduce biodegradability and compostability requirements from January 1, 2030, for selected single-use plastic packaging.

The affected applications include:

• packaging for pre-packed fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms;

• certain food and beverage packaging used for consumption in hotels, restaurants and catering establishments;

• single-serving condiment packaging used in the hospitality and catering sector, subject to specified exceptions;

• flexible single-use packaging for cosmetics and hygiene products supplied by accommodation businesses.

The Commission’s official TRIS database identifies the measure as notification 2026/0167/IT. The public record confirms that both the European Commission and Spain submitted comments during the notification procedure.

Why the PPWR timetable matters

The first issue concerns Article 9 of the PPWR, the regulation that establishes EU-wide packaging and packaging-waste requirements.

As a general principle, packaging placed on the European market must be designed for material recycling. Compostability is required or permitted only for particular packaging formats and under defined conditions.

The regulation also allows a member state to retain compostability requirements for additional packaging categories when those requirements were introduced before the PPWR’s application date.

Italy’s proposal creates a potential timing problem because its obligation would take effect only on January 1, 2030.

According to the concerns reported from Brussels, a national rule adopted under this provision may need to be in place before the PPWR becomes applicable on August 12, 2026. A requirement beginning several years later may therefore fall outside the intended scope of the derogation.

This does not automatically make the Italian measure unlawful. It means Italy may need to provide a stronger legal explanation for the chosen timetable or adjust the proposal before its final adoption.

Collection and industrial composting are also under scrutiny

Compostable packaging delivers its intended environmental benefit only when it enters a suitable organic-waste collection and treatment system.

For this reason, the PPWR links national compostability requirements to practical waste-management conditions. Authorities must consider whether the packaging is likely to enter the organic-waste stream and whether the available infrastructure can process it effectively.

Italy has a developed separate collection system for organic waste, but Brussels reportedly wants evidence that the packaging covered by the proposal can be collected and treated consistently across the country.

The Commission is also concerned about packaging that crosses national borders.

A product sold in compostable packaging in Italy could later become waste in another EU country where collection instructions or treatment facilities differ. If consumers place it in a conventional plastic-recycling stream, it could interfere with the sorting or recycling of other materials.

The issue is therefore not simply whether a package can biodegrade under controlled conditions. Regulators must also consider where it will be discarded, how consumers will identify it and whether the relevant treatment facility can accept it.

Compostable plastic remains plastic under EU law

The second major question involves the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Under European legislation, a material does not cease to qualify as plastic merely because it is compostable, biodegradable or partly produced from biological raw materials.

As a result, a compostable single-use plastic product can remain subject to the same restrictions, consumption-reduction measures and market requirements that apply to conventional single-use plastic.

Compostability does not create a general exemption from the directive.

This distinction is crucial for Italy’s proposal. The government may view compostable materials as a practical substitute for traditional plastics in applications where hygiene, food safety or product protection make packaging difficult to eliminate.

The Commission, however, must also assess whether encouraging that substitution could preserve demand for disposable products instead of supporting prevention, reuse and reduced material consumption.  Italy compostable packaging

What Brussels reportedly wants Italy to clarify

The Commission’s observations reportedly ask Italy to address four main points:

1. the legal compatibility of the 2030 starting date with the PPWR;

2. the treatment of products that are already restricted or prohibited under single-use plastic legislation, including plastic plates;

3. the capacity of Italy’s collection and industrial-composting infrastructure;

4. the final wording of the measure once the national legislative process is complete.

These comments are not the same as a detailed opinion blocking the proposal.

The TRIS record shows that the original standstill period ended on July 7, 2026. The Commission’s comments did not extend that deadline, meaning Italy may still proceed with the measure while considering the issues raised.

The Italian bioplastics industry supports the measure

Italy has one of Europe’s most established industrial supply chains for biodegradable and compostable materials.

Assobioplastiche, the association representing the Italian bioplastics and compostable-materials sector, considers the proposed measure important for agro-industry, food distribution and other businesses that may be affected by future restrictions on single-use packaging.

The industry’s position is that compostable packaging can provide a technically suitable alternative where packaging cannot easily be removed without compromising hygiene, preservation or product functionality.

Supporters also argue that clear national rules would give manufacturers and retailers the certainty needed to plan investments before the PPWR becomes applicable.

That argument will need to be balanced against the EU hierarchy for packaging policy, which prioritises waste prevention and reuse before recycling or organic recovery.

What happens next

Italy can review the proposal, provide further evidence to the Commission or proceed with a revised final measure.

The most important question is not whether compostable packaging has a role in the European market. The PPWR explicitly recognises that it can be appropriate for certain applications.

The unresolved issue is how broadly member states may require it, when those requirements must take effect and whether collection systems are capable of ensuring that the packaging reaches the correct treatment process.

The final Italian text will therefore be closely watched by packaging producers, retailers, waste-management operators and other EU governments.

Its outcome could help define how much national flexibility remains under the PPWR and how the EU intends to balance compostability with its wider objective of reducing single-use packaging.

Key points

• Italy wants selected single-use plastic packaging to be biodegradable and compostable from 2030.

• The European Commission has submitted comments through the EU technical-regulation notification procedure.

• Brussels is reportedly questioning the proposal’s timetable and its compatibility with the PPWR.

• Italy may need to demonstrate sufficient collection and industrial-composting capacity.

• Compostable plastic remains plastic for the purposes of the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

• The Commission’s comments do not constitute a formal rejection or extend the completed standstill period.

Frequently asked questions

Has the European Commission rejected Italy’s proposal?

No. The Commission submitted comments requesting clarification, but the publicly available procedure does not indicate that it issued a detailed opinion blocking the measure.

When would the Italian requirement begin?

The notified proposal would introduce the compostability requirements on January 1, 2030.

Is compostable plastic exempt from EU single-use plastic rules?

No. Compostable and biodegradable plastics can still fall within the legal definition of plastic and remain subject to the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Which EU regulation governs the proposal?

The main legislation is Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, commonly called the PPWR. The Single-Use Plastics Directive is also relevant.

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