Recycling as trade defense

Starting August 2026, Philippine brands that export food, cosmetics, electronics, and other goods to Europe must meet new standards on recyclability, labeling, and empty space. Failure to comply can create new barriers to entry.

- MARVIN TORT

The Philippines has a garbage problem that the world can see. Tons of our plastic waste continue to end up in the ocean. What lies ahead, however, is not only an environmental problem but also a trade problem. Philippine companies that sell into Europe are at risk.

Diplomats failed to agree on a global plastics treaty in Busan, South Korea late last year. The European Union did not wait. It moved ahead and finalized rules that require recyclable packaging for all products sold in the EU. The clock is now ticking for Philippine exports to Europe.

The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, or PPWR, is now law. Starting August 2026, Philippine brands that export food, cosmetics, electronics, and other goods to Europe must meet new standards on recyclability, labeling, and empty space. Failure to comply can create new barriers to entry.

The plastic problem is no longer a matter of cleaning rivers and protecting oceans. It is also a matter of defending market access, particularly in Europe. Between August 2026 and 2030, we need to overhaul export policies, regulations, and business practices so our export goods can keep their access.

The EU's PPWR requires all packaging to be recyclable by design by 2030, with binding measures arriving in phases as early as next year. It mandates harmonized labels to remove consumer confusion, strict limits on void space or air in boxes, and high separate-collection targets for beverage containers. These rules touch every pack that crosses the EU border.

This matters because the Philippines is an exporting economy. Our bananas, dried mangoes, coconut oil, semiconductors, and many other goods do not travel unwrapped. They travel in packaging. As our trading partners pivot to circularity, our domestic packaging ecosystem must adapt.