What e-commerce shippers should know about empty space, material efficiency and packaging designed for recycling.
E-commerce packaging is coming under particular pressure from the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) wherever overpackaging is most visible: oversized shipping boxes, unnecessary empty space and excessive use of void-fill materials. The EU Packaging Regulation aims to reduce packaging waste, improve recyclability and place stricter limits on material use across the full life cycle. It applies to packaging and packaging waste regardless of material or origin.
The regulation will not take effect all at once, but in stages: general core obligations, such as registration and labeling requirements, apply from August 12, 2026. More specific requirements will follow in the years ahead. One of the most relevant for e-commerce: from January 1, 2030, grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging will be subject to a maximum empty space ratio of 50%, with the detailed calculation methodology still to be defined in further rules. This means companies still have several years to implement this threshold in practice, but given long planning and procurement cycles, they should start aligning sourcing and packaging processes now rather than retrofitting under time pressure later.
For packaging adhesives, the PPWR primarily changes the evaluation context: adhesives are not assessed in isolation, but as part of the overall e-commerce packaging solution. For brand owners, online retailers and fulfillment centers, reducing empty space is therefore not only a regulatory topic with a long lead time. It already affects material use, void-fill requirements, transport efficiency, fulfillment processes and customers’ perception of sustainability today.
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In e-commerce, standardized shipping boxes were long seen as a pragmatic solution: easy to store, quick to process and flexible enough for different product sizes. Under the new requirements, such systems come under greater pressure if they regularly create too much empty space.
Oversized packaging means more corrugated material, more void fill, higher transport volume and higher logistics costs. It can also make customers feel that sustainability commitments and packaging practice are not aligned. Right-sized packaging addresses exactly this point: packaging is adapted more closely to actual product dimensions to reduce empty space and void-fill materials.
This changes the core question for decision-makers. It is no longer only: “Is our packaging robust enough?” It is also: “Is our packaging appropriately sized, material-efficient, designed for recycling and scalable with reliable process performance?”
The more precisely sized and variable e-commerce packaging becomes, the higher the requirements for the closure solution. The adhesive must perform reliably across changing box sizes, different corrugated board qualities, varying surfaces and recycled fiber content.
Adhesives account for only a small share of the overall packaging. But they can have a decisive influence on whether a material-efficient packaging solution works in daily operations: whether it remains securely closed, can be processed automatically and fits into paper-based recycling concepts.
The distinction is important: PPWR compliance is not determined by a single adhesive. It must always be assessed at the level of the complete packaging solution. For companies, however, it is crucial that every component, including the adhesive, supports the overall strategy.
Less waste, more efficiency: Right-sized packaging is the smart way to ship. By tailoring each package to fit its contents perfectly, businesses reduce material use, cut shipping costs, and improve overall efficiency.
The short film illustrates in detail how right-sized packaging is implemented.
Interested in learning more? Our white paper on right-sized packaging offers a deeper look into the topic.
For large brand owners, e-commerce packaging has long been part of brand perception. Customers experience it directly when receiving, opening and disposing of the package. Oversized packaging with too much void fill can quickly appear inefficient and create frustration.
Brand owners should therefore assess whether their shipping packaging still matches future requirements and customer expectations:
- Are packaging formats genuinely adapted to product sizes, or are standard volumes used too often?
- Where do empty space, void-fill materials or reducible material combinations occur?
- Have corrugated board, void fill, closure solution, automation and recycling route been assessed as one integrated system?
Fulfillment centers face a similar challenge, but from a more operational perspective. They need to standardize packaging processes efficiently across many clients, product groups and target markets, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate different product dimensions and packaging requirements.
This is where empty space reduction can become a significant lever. Right-sized packaging can help reduce void fill, improve transport volume utilization and make processes more efficient. At the same time, this must not come at the expense of machine runnability, closure quality or process stability.
In Germany, the Packaging Act (VerpackG) also remains relevant: shipping and online retailers generally must be registered in the LUCID packaging register, and shipping packaging is almost always subject to system participation. In the fulfillment context, if a fulfillment service provider packs goods in shipping packaging subject to system participation, the client must fulfill the packaging-law obligations. The fulfillment service provider must, among other things, check whether the client is registered and has fulfilled system participation requirements.
In short: packaging solutions will not only need to run fast in the future. They must also be material-efficient, well documented and reliable across different applications.
The adhesives in the TECHNOMELT E-COM range are developed for modern e-commerce packaging applications and support automated packaging processes. The portfolio is designed to meet requirements such as reliable processing, compatibility with different paper-based substrates and packaging concepts designed for recycling.
This becomes especially relevant for right-sized packaging. When packaging is automatically adapted to product sizes, closure solutions must be able to handle changing formats, substrates and process conditions reliably.
Henkel supports companies in integrating the closure solution early into the development of material-efficient e-commerce packaging: from substrate and format assessment to automated processing and the recycling orientation of the complete packaging solution.
The aim is not to position adhesives as the answer to the PPWR or the Packaging Act in isolation. What matters is finding the right solution for the specific packaging design, substrate and machine setup.
The following short check helps packaging decision-makers assess their current solution in a practical way:
- What is the empty space ratio of your typical shipping packaging, and where do the largest gaps arise between product size and packaging size?
- Is your packaging reduced to the necessary weight and volume without compromising product protection or functionality?
- Do you frequently use standard packaging even though smaller or more precisely sized formats could reduce void fill, transport volume and packaging waste?
- Does your current packaging solution support paper-based recycling concepts?
- Can packaging materials, formats, empty space ratios and quantities be documented cleanly for compliance and reporting purposes?
If several of these questions remain open, that is not necessarily a cause for concern, but it is a good reason to take a closer look. Contact us for a non-binding consultation. Prefer to read more first? Our white paper provides further insights into packaging automation in e-commerce.
The PPWR and the Packaging Act (VerpackG) are changing the way companies evaluate e-commerce packaging. The limitation on empty space, in particular, makes one thing clear: future-ready shipping packaging must be more precisely sized, more material-efficient and better aligned with recycling and logistics processes. Even though the specific 50% threshold will only become binding in 2030, it is worth preparing now.
For brand owners, this is about sustainability impact, customer experience and regulatory readiness. For fulfillment centers, it is about standardization, process stability and efficient scaling. In both cases, the closure solution plays a more important role than its material share might suggest.
Henkel supports companies in viewing packaging adhesives not in isolation, but as part of a holistic e-commerce packaging strategy: for less empty space, reliable automated processes and paper-based packaging concepts designed for recycling.
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