Knowledge Base
Testing packaging redesigned for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is the European Union’s regulation for packaging placed on the EU market. Its first requirements become mandatory in 2026 across all 27 EU member states and for businesses that supply EU markets. The rules reach across the whole packaging lifecycle, including thresholds for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food-contact packaging, minimum recycled content for plastic packaging, and an empty space ratio for transport packaging.
To meet the recycled-content requirements, many manufacturers are redesigning packaging and introducing post-consumer resin (PCR) plastic. PCR behaves less predictably than virgin resin, and that variability introduces production risk: more defects, more waste, and more downtime. As Cooper Henderson of Industrial Physics has set out, the way to manage that risk is test and measurement.
For quality, R&D, and operations experts, three checks do most of the work. Melt flow testing with the Ray-Ran MFR300 confirms that incoming recycled resin will process consistently. Oxygen barrier testing with the Systech OxySense 8101e confirms that a redesigned film still protects shelf life. With our burst and leak integrity testing, the TME BT Integra Pack ensures the seal strength of the package. Together they help protect the integrity of the product and the brand while keeping waste and disruption down.
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Ray-Ran MFR300 Microprocessor Melt Flow System
Ergonomic and easy to use - with sophisticated touch screen electronics - the MFR300 melt flow indexer is packed with features to verify and validate sample materials quickly and efficiently.
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Systech 8101e OxySense® Oxygen Transmission Rate Analyzer
Setting a new benchmark in oxygen transmission rate testing, our OxySense® instruments incorporate the latest eMetric™ sensor technology with high sensitivity and the widest test range.
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TME BT Integra Pack: Smart Package Tester
An easy-to-use bench-top, high-resolution (0.001 psig) test instrument perfect for burst, creep, leak testing and more. Quick, convenient and accurate package leak testing and burst detection from a brand you can trust.
FAQs
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The regulation applies to packaging placed on the EU market, and its first requirements become mandatory in 2026 across all 27 EU member states and for businesses supplying EU markets. Different provisions phase in over time, so confirm the dates that apply to your packaging against the regulation itself.
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Post-consumer resin varies more than virgin resin in flow, barrier, and strength. When a redesigned pack uses PCR to meet recycled-content rules, that variability enters production, so testing is needed to catch it before it becomes defects, waste, or recalls.
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Use melt flow rate testing. The Ray-Ran MFR300 measures MFR to ASTM D1238 and ISO 1133, so you can verify each delivery of recycled resin and predict how it will behave in molding and extrusion.
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It can. Oxygen transmission rate testing with the Systech OxySense 8101e confirms whether a redesigned or more sustainable film still keeps oxygen out well enough to protect the product’s shelf life.
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Test seal and leak integrity. The TME BT Integra Pack runs burst, creep, and leak integrity tests to standards including ISO 11607, giving repeatable, traceable evidence that the redesigned seal holds.
Related Articles
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The PPWR is reshaping how packaging is designed and made. It sets requirements across the packaging lifecycle, and its first obligations become mandatory in 2026 for packaging placed on the EU market, including by manufacturers outside the EU who supply it. The areas with the widest impact include PFAS limits for food-contact packaging, minimum recycled…
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Key terms Term Definition PPWR The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, setting lifecycle requirements for packaging placed on the EU market. Post-consumer resin (PCR) Recycled plastic recovered from used packaging and reprocessed for reuse in new packaging. Recycled content The proportion of recycled material in a pack; the PPWR sets minimum levels for plastic…
