Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 applies to all packaging placed on the European Union market, as well as all packaging waste—regardless of the material used or whether it originates from industrial, commercial, office, retail, service, household, or any other source.

Under this regulation, Member States are required to further develop systems for the return and/or collection of used packaging in order to meet, by the end of 2030, specific minimum recycling targets. These include recycling at least 80% of ferrous metals and 60% of aluminium present in packaging waste.

Aerosol containers are predominantly made of steel or aluminium—both permanent materials with well-established recycling markets. Recycling is the preferred method for recovering the value of used (i.e., empty) aerosols, and FEA advocates for their inclusion in packaging waste recycling systems.

Current recycling practices demonstrate that empty aerosols can be safely and efficiently integrated into standard household packaging waste streams. In fact, large quantities of used aerosols are already being successfully recycled worldwide.

FEA remains strongly committed to supporting the safe and effective recycling of all types of aerosols as part of the shift towards a circular economy. To address the increasing need for recycling plastic aerosols, FEA has also partnered with Petcore Europe.

At present, PET aerosol dispensers placed on the EU single market often contain metal valve components. The European aerosol industry is now working toward a transition to fully recyclable PET aerosol dispensers that contain no metal or non-floatable plastic elements—comprising PET only—in full alignment with the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) Design for Recycling Guidelines.

Although glass and plastic aerosols represent less than 1% of the total aerosol market, they have been present on the EU internal market for many years, alongside aluminium and steel aerosols. To ensure legal certainty, regulatory consistency, and a level playing field across the industry, these types of aerosols should be subject to the same regulatory provisions.