WISA^® plywood plastic packaging meets EU recycling requirements ahead of schedule

Anu Ritvanen

Editor, Tulus

The EU’s new packaging and packaging waste regulation tightens the requirements for plastic packaging by 2030. By the end of 2025, at least 35 percent of the stretch wrap used for WISA^® plywood and veneer products was made from post-consumer recycled plastic. Proactive development ensures packaging quality and compliance with the new requirements.

The amount of plastic packaging waste in the EU has increased significantly over the past decade. According to the European Union’s statistical office Eurostat, in 2023 an average of 35.3 kilograms of plastic packaging waste was generated per resident in the EU, around six kilograms more than a decade earlier. In total, 15.8 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste are generated annually in the EU, accounting for about 19.8 percent of all packaging waste. The EU aims to curb the growth of packaging waste, for example by increasing the use of recycled materials.

35 percent of plastic must be post-consumer recycled

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) replaces the previous directive, and as a regulation it applies directly in all member states. By 2030, plastic packaging must contain at least 35 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) raw material.

According to UPM’s Product Stewardship Director Kaisa Herranen, who coordinates UPM’s group-level implementation of the packaging regulation, the regulation is essentially about market access requirements.

“If packaging does not meet the requirements, the product cannot be placed on the EU market. Packaging and its compliance documentation are an integral part of UPM Plywood’s plywood products. The share of recycled plastic in our packaging raw materials reached the required level already in 2025 at all our mills.”

New stretch wrap is even more durable

UPM Plywood mainly uses plastic in stretch wrap for plywood and veneer bundles in Finland and Estonia.
In 2024, UPM Plywood began introducing stretch wrap containing 30 percent post-industrial recycled (PIR) material derived from plastic production side streams. Later, as the regulatory requirements were clarified, the focus shifted to post-consumer recycled material. The introduction of recycled material has required close collaboration with the packaging material supplier.

“Packaging containing recycled material must perform in production and protect the products as reliably as earlier solutions. Together with our production teams, we have tested new materials at the mills,” says Katri Karvinen, Solution Owner, Production at UPM Plywood.

Testing has verified, for example, the durability of the packaging and its performance on packaging lines. Safety throughout transport and use has also been tested, including tilt tests.

The packaging material has proven to perform at least as well as previous materials, and in some respects the properties have even improved. In addition, the price of stretch wrap made from post-consumer recycled raw material is nearly at the same level as wrap made from virgin raw material.

“As the availability of post-consumer recycled raw materials improves, manufacturers are able to ensure a cost-effective supply of the wrap for UPM Plywood,” says UPM Plywood’s Sourcing Manager Sari Loippo.

Proactivity prevents disruptions and additional costs

PPWR applies across the EU, but recyclability and material choices can also influence producer responsibility fees and other regulatory mechanisms, which may vary between countries. Preparing early helps avoid situations where packaging solutions would need to be changed in a hurry or where delays and shortages could cause additional costs.

“When packaging solutions are ready well ahead of deadlines, supply chains and practical processes are already in place. This also supports our customers in preparing for the upcoming regulation,” Karvinen notes.
PPWR implementation will progress in stages, and additional clarifying regulation is still expected. Based on current plans, the recycled content requirement may increase to 65 percent by 2040.

“We are already aiming for the next level well in advance,” Karvinen says.

UPM Plywood closely monitors regulatory developments and continues to improve packaging solutions step by step. The aim is to strengthen long-term, effective collaboration with customers and distribution partners.

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