EU packaging rules hit the floor in 2026—and shipping and energy shocks are back in the cost base: 10 things to watch
When “start of application” meets geopolitics and energy, packaging and print compete less on presswork—and more on operations and procurement design.
In the EU, PPWR moves into phased application from August 2026, and packaging work is shifting from “making” to “running” the compliance loop. At the same time, swings in energy and ocean freight are squeezing both unit costs and lead times, making upstream process discipline and contract design matter more than another round of automation.
Gathered with AI. Thought through on the shop floor. Written for the future of print.
BPJ WIRE: stories selected and drafted by the BPJ desk from world news, fact-checked against the source ledger — published alongside the editor's own picks.
Translated from Japanese by AI. The Japanese original is authoritative.

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are bringing operational load—“specs,” “submissions,” and “audit readiness”—into packaging and paper sourcing. Layer on what the OECD flags as longer-lasting energy-price pressure, plus infrastructure factors such as telecoms and power, and print work is accumulating more controllable variables outside the pressroom. Today’s set of stories tracks compliance, cost drivers, …
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