The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is a key legislative initiative under the European Union’s circular economy agenda, aimed at reducing packaging waste, which will have direct implications for Sri Lankan exporters. As a binding regulation, it will apply to all products placed on the EU market, including imports. This means that Sri Lankan exporters, including those in the food, beverage, FMCG, and other product sectors, as well as local plastic packaging manufacturers supplying these value chains, will need to ensure that their packaging meets EU requirements on recyclability, reduced material use, and sustainability standards. Non-compliance could result in restricted market access.

The regulation entered into force in February 2025 and will come into enforcement from August 2026. From then on, all packaging in the EU must meet design, recyclability, and safety standards. By 2030, packaging must be fully recyclable with mandatory recycled plastic content. The regulation sets waste reduction targets of 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040, plus harmonised labelling and extended producer responsibility. Exporters and related industries should start aligning with these requirements.

At present, awareness and understanding of PPWR within Sri Lanka’s private sector remain limited and fragmented. Businesses lack clarity on how regulatory requirements translate into operational and strategic decisions, creating a risk of delayed or reactive responses that may affect competitiveness and market access. In addition, Sri Lanka has limited access to scalable alternatives to single-use plastics, particularly for the food sector, where packaging solutions must also comply with strict food safety, hygiene, shelf-life, and PPWR requirements. This assignment is therefore required to support a structured awareness-raising intervention that translates PPWR requirements into practical business implications and to strengthen the preparedness of Sri Lankan Food Exporters to EU and related eco-system actors to navigate the evolving EU regulatory landscape while minimizing the risk of business disruption.

1. Expertise France

Expertise France is the French Public Agency For International Technical Cooperation. As a subsidiary of the Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), it designs and implements projects which aim to contribute to the balanced development of partner countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the priorities of France’s external action

The agency achieves this goal by implementing national- or regional-scale projects in major areas of public action:

●      Democratic, economic and financial governance

●      Peace, stability and security

●      Climate, agriculture and sustainable development

●      Health and human development.

Expertise France promotes international solidarity by facilitating the transfer of skills, fostering peer dialogue, and mobilizing experts to support development cooperation aligned with the rule of law, human rights, and France’s Official Development Assistance priorities. For more information: www.expertisefrance.fr

2. CIRCULAR Proje

“Circular Economy in the Food Sector (CIRCULAR)” project is a threefold umbrella “CIRCULAR” programme funded by the European Union (EUD-Sri Lanka), for 36 months (2024-2027). It is implemented by three Implementing Organisations (IOs): Expertise France (EF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). CIRCULAR takes an integrated approach to “promote a circular economy in the food sector” in Sri Lanka, especially aiming at the reduction of food waste and loss, as well as the reduction of Single-Use-Plastic.

The Specific Objectives (outcomes) of the Action are:

Specific Objective 1 (SO1): to increase recovery, processing and supply of edible and safe food surplus and/or waste for the benefit of vulnerable consumers and/or food producers.

Specific Objective 2 (SO2): to enhance effectiveness of the sustainable production, distribution and consumption models related to food waste/loss and single-use plastic (SUP) food packaging.

Expertise France works on SO2: With a focus on reducing SUP in the food sector by raising awareness of actors along the SUP, supply chain via Output;

2.1 Increased awareness (and behavioural changes) among the general public, economic   operators, consumers and civil society about public incentives, sustainable products, solutions and services on the market

Through Output 2.1, Expertise France aims to advance a circular economy in Sri Lanka’s food sector, with a particular emphasis on reducing single-use plastic (SUP) waste. This will be achieved by fostering awareness and driving behaviour change among consumers, businesses, civil society, and the public. Under this output, Expertise France will implement targeted activities to generate evidence-based knowledge and influence consumer behaviour, policy frameworks, and regulatory measures, ultimately supporting the transition to more sustainable production and consumption practices.