A new European Union regulation on packaging and packaging waste began applying on 12 August, with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs saying elements of the measure apply directly in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation replaces the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. DAERA has highlighted the change in the regulatory framework as the new regulation starts to apply from this week.
The department says the regulation applies directly only in part in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. Its application is therefore not described by DAERA as a wholesale direct application of every element of the regulation in Northern Ireland.
DAERA says the framework brings a greater focus to packaging at the design and production stages, alongside compliance requirements arising earlier in the process. That represents the department’s stated emphasis in explaining the new approach to packaging and packaging waste.
The regulation concerns both packaging and the waste associated with it. By replacing the earlier directive, it establishes a new EU regulatory basis in the area from 12 August 2026, subject in Northern Ireland to the department’s description of the Windsor Framework position.
Businesses and others dealing with packaging will need to distinguish between the regulation having begun to apply and the extent to which provisions are directly applicable in Northern Ireland. DAERA has identified the Windsor Framework as central to that position.
The department’s information sets out a regulatory change rather than a new consultation or proposed future rule. The regulation is now applying from 12 August, while DAERA’s description makes clear that direct application in Northern Ireland is limited to the relevant parts under the Windsor Framework.