Managing Poland’s Transition to Circular Economy: Regulatory Implementation and Governance Challenges in Plastic Packaging Sector

Plastic packaging represents a critical focus in the European Union’s transition to a circular economy owing to its resource-intensive production and substantial greenhouse gas emissions. This article examines Poland’s implementation of plastic packaging regulations within the evolving European Union regulatory framework, alongside complementary policy instruments. It employs legal-normative analysis of European Union and Polish legislation, documentary review of national strategic frameworks, and statistical assessment of packaging generation and recycling performance. Poland has introduced substantial legislative measures, including carrier-bag fees, charges on single-use plastic products, recycled-content mandates for polyethylene terephthalate bottles, and a deposit-return system launched in October 2025. Moreover, national voluntary agreements created by non-governmental organisations and industry stakeholders to improve collection and sorting have been active on the Polish market. Nevertheless, performance indicators reveal significant gaps between regulatory ambitions and operational outcomes. To diagnose these implementation gaps and prioritise the most critical interventions, the article applies a governance-oriented MoSCoW analysis. The article concludes that while the deposit-return system constitutes an essential intervention, achieving European Union circular economy objectives requires comprehensive policy integration encompassing upstream prevention, eco-design standards, extended producer responsibility mechanisms, and coherent strategic planning. An effective regulatory system, sound management practices, and improved information sharing among stakeholders are crucial for promoting eco-innovation and advancing circularity, reuse, and waste reduction.