1. This Regulation establishes requirements for the entire life-cycle of packaging as regards environmental sustainability and labelling, to allow its placing on the market. It also establishes requirements for extended producer responsibility, packaging waste prevention, such as the reduction of unnecessary packaging and the re-use or refill of packaging, as well as the collection and treatment, including recycling, of packaging waste.
2. This Regulation contributes to the efficient functioning of the internal market by harmonising national measures on packaging and packaging waste in order to avoid obstacles to trade and the distortion and restriction of competition within the Union, while preventing or reducing the adverse impacts of packaging and packaging waste on the environment and human health, on the basis of a high level of environmental protection.
3. This Regulation contributes to the transition to a circular economy and to achieving climate neutrality at the latest by 2050, as provided for under Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council 53, by laying down measures in line with the waste hierarchy set out in Article 4 of Directive 2008/98/EC (‘waste hierarchy’).