Brazil Packaging Market 2026: Regulations, Trends, and Growth Opportunities
Brazil is Latin America’s largest food packaging market and one of the world’s fastest-growing — valued at approximately $9 billion in 2024 and projected to reach over $12 billion by 2030. The country’s massive population of 215 million, expanding food delivery platforms, and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape make it a high-priority target for packaging exporters. But Brazil’s regulatory framework, tax structure, and import procedures are among the most complex globally, requiring careful preparation before market entry.
This guide covers ANVISA food contact regulations, the landmark 2025 plastic EPR decree, import procedures, and practical market entry strategies for food packaging suppliers targeting Brazil.
ANVISA: Brazil’s Food Contact Regulatory Framework
ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) — Brazil’s equivalent of the FDA — regulates food contact materials through a MERCOSUR-harmonized framework. The core regulation is RDC 56/2012, which establishes a positive list for plastic monomers and polymers with an overall migration limit of 8 mg/dm² or 50 mg/kg.
Additional key regulations include RDC 326/2019 (positive list of over 1,000 additives with restrictions on five phthalates), RDC 88/2016 (cellulosic materials including recycled fibers), and RDC 20/2008 (permits recycled PET for food contact with mandatory “PET-PCR” labeling and validated decontamination processes).
Recent regulatory updates: RDC 843/2024, effective February 2024, replaced the old registration system with a three-tier framework — registration (high-risk materials), notification (intermediate-risk with immediate marketing), and communication to local authority (lowest-risk). RDC 983/2025 added a 180-day phase-out period for legacy packaging. RDC 979/2025 tightened recycled-fiber rules. These changes simplify market entry for standard materials while maintaining safety oversight.
One important distinction from the EU: Brazil has not followed the EU’s January 2025 general BPA ban. BPA remains authorized in food-contact plastics in Brazil subject to specific migration limits — though it is banned in baby bottles under RDC 41/2011.
Decree 12.688/2025: Brazil’s First Plastic Packaging EPR
The headline regulatory event for packaging in Brazil is Federal Decree 12.688/2025, signed by President Lula and published October 21, 2025. This is Brazil’s first dedicated plastic packaging EPR decree, implementing Articles 32-33 of the 2010 National Solid Waste Policy.
The decree binds manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, and management entities. Coverage includes primary, secondary, and tertiary plastic packaging plus equivalent products like cups, cutlery, plates, and bags. Notably, food packaging is partially exempted because it falls under sector-specific ANVISA rules, but the broader packaging supply chain is affected.
Recovery targets: Starting at 32% in 2026, ramping to approximately 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. Recycled content targets begin at 22% in 2026 for large companies (July 2026 for SMEs), increasing to 30% by 2030 and 40% by 2040. Voluntary delivery points become mandatory from October 2029, with one per municipality of 10,000 or fewer residents.
Non-compliance fines can reach BRL 50,000 per month. A private certificate market has emerged, led by companies like Eureciclo, using blockchain-tracked invoices from sorting cooperatives to auction Packaging Recycling Certificates — similar to carbon credit trading but for recycling verification.
Front-of-Pack Labeling
Brazil implemented its own front-of-pack warning system under RDC 429/2020, requiring magnifying-glass-style “ALTO EM” (High In) warnings for added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. While conceptually similar to Mexico‘s NOM-051, the Brazilian format is different — a rectangular magnifying glass rather than octagonal seals.
For packaging suppliers, this means Brazilian food packaging designs require different warning label placement and format than Mexican designs. Maintaining separate design templates for each Latin American market is becoming essential.
Import Procedures and Tax Structure
Brazil’s import tax structure is notoriously complex. Beyond the MERCOSUR Common External Tariff (typically 14–18% for plastic packaging under HS 3923 and 12–14% for paper packaging under HS 4819), imports face multiple layered taxes.
The cumulative tax burden including import duty (II), industrial products tax (IPI), PIS-Importação (2.1%), COFINS-Importação (9.65–10.65%), state ICMS (typically 17–19%, calculated on an inclusive basis), and AFRMM on ocean freight commonly reaches 60–100% of CIF value. This is not a typo — total landed cost in Brazil can genuinely double the original price.
A major tax reform is underway. Constitutional Amendment 132/2023 and Complementary Law 214/2025 are transitioning Brazil to a dual VAT system (CBS + IBS) over eight years starting in 2026. The 2026 pilot year introduces a combined 1% test rate shown on invoices. By 2033, the combined rate will be approximately 26.5–28%, replacing the current PIS/COFINS/ICMS/ISS complexity.
For exporters, the practical takeaway is this: factor at minimum 60% of CIF value as total import taxes when pricing for Brazil. Work with a Brazilian customs broker who specializes in packaging imports to optimize tariff classification and identify any applicable reductions.
Market Characteristics and Opportunities
Brazil’s packaging industry is substantial. Flexible plastic packaging alone generated R$37.8 billion in revenue in 2024, with 2.33 million tonnes produced. Corrugated cardboard hit 4.04 million tonnes in 2023, with food consuming nearly 49% of total output — Brazil is now the world’s sixth-largest corrugated producer.
Brazil has one of the world’s highest PET recycling rates at 56.4%, creating strong demand for recycled PET food packaging. However, overall plastic recycling remains at approximately 1.3%, highlighting the opportunity gap that the new EPR decree aims to address.
The food delivery sector is growing rapidly, driven by iFood (Brazil’s dominant platform), Rappi, and Uber Eats. This creates demand for the same delivery-ready packaging categories growing globally: leak-proof containers, tamper-evident lids, insulated packaging, and branded delivery bags.
For Chinese exporters, Brazil’s high import taxes make commodity packaging uncompetitive. The opportunity lies in specialty products that Brazilian domestic manufacturers cannot easily produce: custom-printed packaging with complex designs, certified compostable products with international certifications (EN 13432, BPI), and specialty materials like bamboo fiber or molded fiber products that lack domestic supply chains.
Entering the Brazilian market? GQ TH Pack supplies food packaging with ANVISA-compliant documentation, international certifications for compostable products, and expertise in Brazilian market requirements. Contact us to discuss your Brazil market strategy.