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Global Packaging Regulations

Publisher Freedonia Group
Published Dec 15, 2025
Length 248 Pages
SKU # FG20650764

Description

Regulatory pressure on the global packaging industry is intensifying, with compliance costs and policy complexity rising sharply across regions. The scope of extended producer responsibility (EPR), recycled content mandates, labeling laws, and design standards continues to expand, impacting material selection, packaging formats, and supplier strategy.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of how global regulations are affecting packaging materials and end-use markets, including the specific policy tools being used and their implications for packaging design, compliance obligations, and innovation opportunities.

Coverage includes:
  • Comparative analysis of regulatory exposure across materials such as plastics, fiber, metals, glass, and compostables
  • Evaluation of regulatory pressure across major packaging markets, including food & beverage, foodservice, CPG, medical, e-commerce, and industrial
  • Regional review of regulatory frameworks and enforcement trends in North America, Central & South America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, and Africa/Middle East
Scope of the report:

This report analyzes the scope, structure, and strategic implications of packaging regulations globally, including key trends in products, materials, and markets. It does not present market size or sales data by product or material, but instead evaluates regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements across different packaging types, materials, and end-use markets.

Key topics include:
  • EPR laws and eco-modulated fees
  • Single-use plastic and PFAS bans
  • Recycled content mandates
  • Labeling, traceability, and recyclability requirements
  • Regional enforcement mechanisms and market access risk
  • Strategic outlook and innovation response

Table of Contents

248 Pages
  • Executive Summary: Key Findings & Strategic Implications
    • What Is Considered "Packaging" in This Report?
    • Markets & End Uses Covered
    • Key Materials Listed & Defined
    • Flexible, Rigid, &Hybrid Packaging Formats
    • Recyclable, Compostable, &Biodegradable: What These Terms Actually Mean
    • Why Packaging is at the Center of Environmental Policy
    • Global Treaties & Multilateral Initiatives
    • Common Environmental Policy Mechanisms Targeting Packaging
    • Environmental Priorities Driving Regulations
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Why Safety & Functionality Regulations Matter
    • Protecting Product Integrity
    • Ensuring Consumer Safety
    • Traceability, Labeling, &Anti-Counterfeiting
    • Performance Standards for Transport & Handling
    • Balancing Safety with Sustainability
    • Regulatory Pressure Across Markets
    • Food & Beverage Packaging
    • Foodservice Packaging & Disposables
    • Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Packaging
    • Medical/Pharmaceutical Packaging
    • E-Commerce Packaging: Boxes & Mailers
    • Industrial Bulk Packaging
    • Protective & Transport Packaging
    • Plastics: The Primary Regulatory Target
    • Paper & Fiber: Favored Alternatives Facing New Questions
    • Metals: Circular Leaders with a Carbon Problem
    • Glass: Recyclable & Premium with a Heavy Footprint
    • Bioplastics & Compostables: Promising but Poorly Defined
    • Hybrids & Multi-Materials: Designed for Performance; Penalized for Waste
    • Emerging Alternatives: Newer Materials to Watch
    • Why Single-Use Plastics are a Prime Regulatory Target
    • Products Most Commonly Banned or Restricted
    • Global Timeline of Single-Use Plastics Restrictions
    • Enforcement & Compliance Challenges
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Suppliers
    • Recyclability: More than Just Technically Possible
    • Biodegradability: A Poorly Defined Concept
    • Compostability: Industrial vs. Home Standards
    • Global Patchwork of Standards & Labels
    • Tension Between Standards & Infrastructure
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
    • Global EPR Models: Who Pays & How
    • Eco-Modulation: Fees that Favor Better Packaging
    • Global Patchwork of EPR Adoption
    • Producer Obligations Beyond Fees
    • Challenges & Criticisms of EPR
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Suppliers
    • Design for Recycling & Circularity
    • Rising Role of Recycled Content
    • Compostable & Biobased Packaging
    • Reusable & Refillable Systems
    • Smart & Digital Packaging
    • Lightweighting & Source Reduction
    • Balancing Safety & Sustainability
    • Balancing Cost & Sustainability
    • Regional Scope
    • Regulatory Landscape Overview
    • Major Regional Regulatory Frameworks
    • Key Country Level Regulations & Restrictions
    • Trends in Enforcement & Compliance
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Regional Scope
    • Regulatory Landscape Overview
    • Major Regional Regulatory Frameworks
    • Key Country-Level Regulations & Restrictions
    • Trends in Enforcement & Compliance
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Regional Scope
    • Regulatory Landscape Overview
    • Major Regional Regulatory Frameworks
    • Key Country-Level Regulations & Restrictions
    • Trends in Enforcement & Compliance
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Regional Scope
    • Regulatory Landscape Overview
    • Major Regional Regulatory Frameworks
    • Key Country-Level Regulations & Restrictions
    • Trends in Enforcement & Compliance
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Regional Scope
    • Regulatory Landscape Overview
    • Key Regional & Country Regulations & Restrictions
    • Trends in Enforcement & Compliance
    • Implications for Packaging Producers & Materials Suppliers
    • Report Details
    • Definitions
    • Abbreviations
    • Freedonia Methodology
    • Study-Specific Methodology
    • Sources
    • Associations & Agencies
    • Related Studies & Reports
    • Country Lists by Region
    • Macroeconomic Assumptions

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