Companies that manage daily packaging, cleaning, and personnel protection flows are facing a rapidly changing regulatory framework. The entry into force of the European regulation PPWR since August 12, 2026, and the scheduled implementation of the REP for professional packaging on January 1, 2027, are reshaping the obligations of each player, from the manufacturer to the last logistics link.
Understanding these developments allows for the selection of professional solutions for packaging, hygiene, and maintenance that meet both operational constraints and new legal requirements.
Sorting and collection in companies: the barrier that catalogs do not show
Supplier pages highlight fast delivery and a wide range. They rarely address the concrete difficulty that small structures face in sorting their packaging waste on-site.
The main barrier to professional sorting remains operational. Lack of dedicated storage space, insufficient collection frequency, and lack of knowledge about available channels: these obstacles particularly affect retailers, craftsmen, service companies, and healthcare establishments. A distributor that offers professional packaging without supporting end-of-life management leaves part of the problem unresolved.
Specialized platforms like risi.fr bring together ranges covering packaging, hygiene, and maintenance, simplifying procurement. Centralizing purchases reduces the number of suppliers to manage, but it does not mechanically resolve the downstream sorting issue. On this point, field feedback varies: some multi-site companies manage to structure an internal collection circuit, while others, lacking space or a local service provider, still mix boxes, films, and cans in the same bin.
REP for professional packaging 2027: what companies need to anticipate
The REP for professional packaging will come into effect on January 1, 2027, after several delays. Decree No. 2025-1081 of November 17, 2025, defines the scope: pallets, films, boxes, big bags, drums, cans, jerrycans, and transport packaging are concerned.
Every market player will need to join an approved eco-organization and declare the quantities of packaging marketed. CITEO PRO is among the approved structures to support this transition. The 2027 rates of eco-organizations will be published jointly, at the request of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, no later than October 15, 2026.
For a company that regularly purchases packaging and maintenance consumables, this obligation involves several adjustments:
- Precisely identify the types of packaging placed on the market (primary, secondary, transport) and the associated volumes to prepare the annual declaration.
- Check that current suppliers already include the eco-contribution in their rates or plan to do so, to avoid unexpected costs at the beginning of the fiscal year.
- Implement an internal monitoring of incoming and outgoing packaging flows, even if basic, as the lack of traceability will complicate compliance.
The available data does not yet allow for quantifying the average financial impact per company. The rates will depend on the material, weight, and recyclability of each packaging.
PPWR regulation and reusable packaging: known objectives and limits
The European regulation PPWR has been in effect since August 12, 2026 and introduces binding targets for recyclability and reuse. For transport packaging between companies, the text provides for a share of 40% reusable packaging by 2030.
This target pushes suppliers to develop reusable solutions: deposit plastic boxes, closed-loop pallets, shuttle containers for bulk hygiene products. Reuse remains marginal in practice. Return circuits require a reverse logistics that few SMEs can organize alone.
Flexible packaging (bags, films, soft pouches) offers an interesting compromise: reduced weight, chemical compatibility with aggressive cleaning products, resistance to leaks. Its recyclability is improving, but it depends on the film composition. Multi-layer structures, still common for concentrated detergents, pose a sorting problem that not all industrial channels address today.
Professional hygiene and cleaning products: balancing performance and compliance
The choice of a professional cleaning product is not limited to its effectiveness on surfaces. The packaging it contains, its safety data sheet, and its compatibility with personal protective equipment form a whole that purchasing managers must evaluate comprehensively.
A disinfectant detergent packaged in a five-liter can generates a plastic packaging waste that now falls within the scope of the REP. Each liter of product purchased also incurs a responsibility for its container. Concentrated formulas, diluted on-site, reduce the packaging volume per dose used but require a calibrated dispenser and staff training.
Products made in France, such as certain ranges based on Landes pine, show reduced transport and clearer traceability of raw materials. This geographical proximity criterion does not automatically guarantee a better overall environmental balance, as the chemical composition of the product and the recyclability of its container weigh more heavily in the life cycle analysis.
Risk prevention and personal protective equipment at work
Handling concentrated cleaning products or packaging goods on a logistics chain exposes employees to chemical and physical risks. Prevention involves both the choice of the product and the associated protective equipment: solvent-resistant gloves, splash goggles, appropriate clothing.
Suppliers that cover packaging, hygiene, and safety equipment allow for cross-referencing technical data sheets. A manual stretch film does not require the same protections as a can of alkaline degreaser. Consolidating these purchases with the same distributor facilitates coherence between the ordered product and the PPE recommended in its safety data sheet.
The regulatory framework being established by 2027 does not only concern the end-of-life of packaging. It also requires rethinking the entire supply chain, from the choice of packaging to waste management, including the safety of those who handle these products daily.
