Packaging in Canada: A 2025 Roundup and Looking Ahead to 2026

This blog was originally posted on 1st December, 2025. Further regulatory developments may have occurred after publication. To keep up-to-date with the latest compliance news, sign up to our newsletter.

AUTHORED BY RÚAN DOHERTY, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ANALYST, COMPLIANCE & RISKS

The landscape of packaging compliance in Canada is evolving at a rapid pace, driven by a federal plastics reporting system and extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations across the provinces and territories.

This blog dives into the main packaging updates in 2025, including the Phase 1 reporting under the Federal Plastics Registry and provincial EPR developments, and highlights the key deadlines and changes that producers need to prepare for in 2026.

For more information on global packaging developments, the following guide is available for download: ‘Packaging Compliance in Transition: Expert Insights & Analysis’.

Federal Plastics Registry Reporting Phases

At the federal level, the immediate focus was Phase 1 reporting under the Federal Plastics Registry, with reports due on September 29, 2025. This phase applied to products destined for residential waste streams across three categories:

Rigid and flexible plastic packaging,
Single-use or disposable plastic items, and
Electronic and electrical equipment containing plastic components.

On June 19, 2025, the proposed Phase 2 reporting provisions were issued for consultation. This phase aims to expand beyond Phase 1 to include plastic resin producers, additional sectors (tires, transportation, construction, agriculture, fishing, textiles), and all waste streams (residential, ICI, construction). The first annual reporting deadline for Phase 2 is September 29, 2026.

Development of Provincial & Territorial Packaging EPR Programmes

Alberta

Alberta’s EPR programme for packaging, paper products, and single-use items officially launched on April 1, 2025. Administered by the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) and managed by Circular Materials, the initiative aligns Alberta with other provinces and shifts the financial and operational responsibility for recycling from municipalities to the producers who create and supply these materials.

The programme’s phased implementation started with Phase 1 on April 1, 2025, covering communities that already have recycling services. Phase 2, starting October 1, 2026, extends the program to registered communities without prior recycling services or those that missed earlier registration deadlines.

British Columbia

In August 2025, RecycleBC approved a revised packaging and paper product EPR plan following extensive consultations and revisions since its initial April 2023 submission.

The revised plan introduces ambitious material recovery targets (75% for rigid plastics and 50% for flexible plastics by 2027), along with expanded commitments for community onboarding, Indigenous partnership development, annual reporting, and inclusion of additional packaging and paper types.

Manitoba

Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) published a draft plan in March 2025, and a revised draft in August 2025, to establish the shift from shared responsibility to full EPR for residential packaging and printed paper (PPP).

The plan details a phased approach, including regulatory amendments, community opt-in/opt-out options, service procurement, and performance targets, to ensure uninterrupted recycling services while promoting a circular economy. MMSM is aiming to finalise the plan and broader EPR programme for PPP in 2026.

New Brunswick

As per the recent Designated Materials Regulation 2024/37, producers were required to submit a new stewardship plan for approval by June 30, 2025.

From January 1, 2026 onwards, producers will be officially bound by Regulation 2024/37, which repeals the prior 2008 regulation. The new regulation introduces a producer hierarchy defining obligated producers, expands designated materials lists (packaging, paper products, beverage containers etc.), and establishes new registration, reporting, and compliance duties overseen by Recycle NB.

Nova Scotia

On December 1, 2025, NS Regulation 139/2023 will take effect, launching the implementation of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme for packaging and paper products.

Producers that supply designated materials to residents are now required to operate a compliant collection system and meet management and reporting obligations for the materials they place on the market.

For residents, the programme introduces a consistent province-wide list of accepted recyclable materials, expanding items accepted in the blue bag curbside recycling system to include multi-layer paper containers (paper cups, ice cream cartons), plastic tubes (toothpaste, deodorant), and various small plastic packaging items. Some items like foam packaging, flexible plastics, and non-hazardous aerosol cans can now be recycled through participating depot drop-off locations.

Ontario

Following a consultation period in June, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment finalised amendments to the Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21) on 3 September 2025.

Key changes include:

Recovery target increases for paper, glass, metal, and rigid plastics are deferred until 2032;
Recovery targets for flexible plastics are phased in: starting at 10% for 2026-27, 15% for 2028-31, and reaching 25% in 2032 onward;
Producers are required to use “best efforts” to meet targets in 2026 and 2027, send all collected material to a registered processor, and contribute a mid-2027 diversion report to RPRA;
Collection expansion to additional multi-residential buildings, and certain long-term care and retirement homes are deferred, while expansion to public spaces is removed completely;
Up to 15% of required recovery per material category may be met using energy recovery (e.g. incineration for electricity) for non-recyclable residues; and

Most of the amendments will take effect on 1 January 2026, while select provisions took effect upon filing of the regulation on 3 September 2025.

Quebec

On 28 May 2025, the Quebec National Assembly enacted Bill 81 which bolsters the recovery and reclamation of residual materials in Quebec. The measures are aimed at producers and include the following:

Mandating minimum proportions of recovered, recycled, or reclaimed materials to be incorporated in the manufacturing of designated products like containers and packaging;
Prohibiting specific materials or material combinations in the manufacturing of designated products;
Requiring producers to financially support programs or initiatives focused on reducing, recovering, or reclaiming residual materials. These programs may involve municipalities, Aboriginal communities, and other stakeholders; and
Compensating designated entities for services related to the recovery and reclamation of specific residual materials or classes of materials.

Yukon

On 1 November 2025, Circular Materials’ stewardship plan for managing packaging, paper, and single-use products took effect in Yukon under the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation.

Designated materials under the plan include all forms of packaging (primary, convenience, and transport);a range of paper products (newspapers, magazines, etc.); and single-use items such as straws, utensils, and food containers.

Performance of the plan is tracked through key indicators, annual reporting, and data submissions by producers. Furthermore, financing is producer-driven, with obligated producers paying fees based on the type and quantity of materials they supply.

For information on global packaging EPR reporting obligations, the following whitepaper is available for download: ‘Global Packaging EPR Reporting Requirements: A Practical Comparison Guide’.

Harmonization Amongst Producer Responsibility Organizations

Amid Canada’s shifting packaging landscape, producer responsibility organisations (PROs) are taking a step toward harmonised packaging rules and streamlined oversight.

On 17 November 2025, five PROs (Circular Materials, Éco Entreprises Québec, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba, SK Recycles and Recycle BC) released a joint statement on their development of harmonised eco-design and recyclability guidelines for packaging. This collaborative effort intends to provide consistent guidance to packaging producers operating across multiple provinces and territories, supporting the rollout of EPR regulations in Canada.

The new guidelines build upon existing eco-design and recyclability guidelines published by Éco Entreprises Québec, and are focused on three strategies:

Reduction: optimize the “right” amount, weight and volume of product packaging that is essential and sufficient for the product’s function and use by consumers.
Procurement: encourage producers to choose environmentally responsible suppliers and work jointly with them on a more transparent and traceable supply chain that prioritizes the use of recycled, renewable and certified materials.
Recyclability: encourage producers to design products to maximize the compatibility of packaging and paper products with existing and developing sorting and recycling infrastructure.

The guidelines received endorsement from all five PROs in October, with plans for finalization by the end of 2026.

In addition, on 1 January 2026, SK Recycles and Recycle BC will merge into a single entity to simplify the existing organizational structure, provide immediate efficiencies and modest cost savings. The reorganization will establish one Board of Directors and unify the legal structure while allowing both programs to continue operating separately under their respective provincial regulations. (SK Recycles press release).

Want to find out more about Global Packaging Regulations? Check out our webinar-on-demand.

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