EU packaging rules 2030 for hotels and restaurants: what the PPWR bans and when

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 or PPWR, has applied since 12 August 2026. Its most visible change for hotels comes on 1 January 2030, when single-use packaging for guest toiletries in the accommodation sector can no longer be supplied. On the same date, restaurants, bars and hotel breakfast rooms lose single-use plastic packaging for food and drinks consumed on site and plastic single portions of condiments, jam, sauces, sugar and coffee creamer. Takeaway rules start earlier, in 2027 and 2028. This article sets out what the text says, when each rule applies and what to ask suppliers now. It is general information, not legal advice.

For the bathroom switch itself, see our buying guides on the miniature toiletries ban and on refillable dispensers.

Contents

• What the regulation says
• Timeline
• What it covers in hotels and restaurants
• What to ask your suppliers
• Alternatives
• National rules already in force
• FAQ
• Sources

What the regulation says

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 replaces the Packaging Directive 94/62/EC. It was published in the Official Journal on 22 January 2025, entered into force on 11 February 2025 and has applied directly in every EU country since 12 August 2026. No national transposition is needed.

Article 25 and Annex V list packaging formats that may not be placed on the market from 1 January 2030. Three entries concern hospitality directly.

Annex V entry	Format restricted from 1 January 2030	Materials covered
Point 3	Single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages filled and consumed on the premises in the HORECA sector, which point 3 defines as all eating areas inside and outside a place of business, including standing areas and shared eating areas. Takeaway is not covered by this point. Establishments without access to drinking water are exempt, and Member States may exempt some micro-enterprises under Article 25(4).	Plastic
Point 4	Single-use plastic packaging for individual portions of condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning in the HORECA sector. Point 4 exempts portions provided with take-away ready-prepared food and those needed for safety and hygiene in establishments with a medical requirement for individualised care, such as hospitals, clinics or nursing homes.	Plastic
Point 5	Single-use packaging for cosmetics, hygiene and toiletry products in the accommodation sector, intended for an individual booking only and intended to be discarded before the next guest arrives (Annex V, point 5)	All materials: a paper, aluminium or bioplastic miniature is covered in the same way

Point 5 sets no size threshold. The limits of 50 ml for liquids and 100 grams for other products quoted in some summaries come from the Commission's 2022 proposal. The text published in the Official Journal restricts packaging intended for an individual booking only and intended to be discarded before the next guest arrives, whatever its size.

The European Commission published guidance and FAQs on the regulation on 30 March 2026. According to that guidance, composite packaging containing less than 5% plastic by weight falls outside the plastic-only entries (points 1 to 4). This 5% rule does not apply to point 5, which covers all materials.

Timeline

Date	Rule	Relevance for hotels and restaurants
3 July 2021	Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904: ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers and cups	Already in force in F&B
12 August 2026	General application of Regulation (EU) 2025/40, including limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging	Applies to packaging your suppliers place on the market
12 February 2027	Article 32: final distributors in the HORECA sector serving food and drinks for takeaway must provide a system for customers to bring their own container to be filled, at no higher cost (Regulation (EU) 2025/40)	Lobby cafés, pool bars, grab-and-go counters
12 February 2028	Article 33: the same distributors must offer a reusable packaging option for takeaway at no higher cost; micro-enterprises are exempt (Regulation (EU) 2025/40)	Takeaway service
12 August 2028 at the earliest	Harmonised labels showing material composition, once the implementing acts apply	Packaging received from suppliers
1 January 2030	Article 25 and Annex V format restrictions, including guest toiletry miniatures, single-use plastic for on-premises dining and single-portion condiments	Guest bathrooms, restaurants, breakfast, room service
1 January 2030	Recyclability (grades A to C) and minimum recycled content for plastic packaging, subject to the delegated and implementing acts	All packaging bought
2030	Article 33(5): from 2030, these distributors shall endeavour to offer 10% of products for sale in a reusable packaging format (Regulation (EU) 2025/40)	Takeaway service
1 January 2038 and 2040	Recyclability grades A or B only (2038); higher recycled content and reuse targets (2040)	Long-term purchasing

Several of these dates depend on acts the Commission still has to adopt. Where the text says "whichever is the latest", the later date applies if the act is late.

What it covers in hotels and restaurants

Area	What changes	From
Guest bathrooms	Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion and soap in single-use miniatures fall under point 5, whatever the material.	1 January 2030
Breakfast, restaurants and bars	Single portions of jam, sauces, sugar, creamer and other condiments in single-use plastic fall under point 4. Single-use plastic cups and containers for food and drinks served on site fall under point 3.	1 January 2030
Room service and minibar	The Commission FAQ of August 2026 states that room service falls under point 3. Food and drinks a hotel delivers outside its premises fall outside point 3, and the takeaway refill and reuse obligations apply to them instead. Point 3 concerns packaging filled on site, so check with your national authority how pre-packed minibar products are treated.	1 January 2030
Takeaway outlets	Customers can bring their own container, then a reusable packaging option must be offered.	12 February 2027 and 12 February 2028
Back of house	Most obligations on design, recyclability and labelling sit with the manufacturer or importer. Under Article 3, a business that has packaging designed or made under its own name or trademark is its manufacturer, and the Commission FAQ of August 2026 confirms this even when the business only picks a standard packaging. The exception is a micro-enterprise supplied from the same Member State.	12 August 2026

What to ask your suppliers

• Which of your products are in a format listed in Annex V, and what do you offer instead from 2030?
• For refill and bulk products: container size, dispenser compatibility and refill procedure.
• The Declaration of Conformity for the packaging, required since 12 August 2026.
• The recyclability grade the packaging is expected to reach, and its recycled content.
• For reusable packaging: the reuse system, expected rotations and return logistics.
• Lead times, so that stock of restricted formats is used up before 1 January 2030.

Suitality does not certify the compliance of products listed by suppliers. Ask each supplier for the documents above before ordering.

Alternatives

In guest bathrooms, the usual replacement is a wall-mounted or fixed pump dispenser filled from bulk containers. Our guide to refillable dispensers covers lockable models and the refill routine. Compare bulk refill amenities from several suppliers, and the dispenser bottles and matching wall bracket in our bathroom collection.

Solid soap and shampoo bars can replace liquid miniatures. Annex V, point 5 gives sachets around bar soap as an example of restricted packaging, so an individually wrapped bar intended for one booking is covered; ask the supplier for unwrapped bars. See soap bars.

Some hotels plan to keep a small range at reception for guests who ask. The Commission FAQ of August 2026 notes that the regulation does not exempt miniatures offered on request, so wait for the Commission guidelines due by 12 February 2027 before relying on it.

At breakfast and in restaurants, glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers replace plastic single portions. Point 4 only covers plastic, so single portions in glass jars, for example, are outside it. See cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils and the full amenities and personal care range.

National rules already in force

In France, Article L541-15-10 of the Environment Code, introduced by the AGEC law, has required restaurants to serve meals and drinks consumed on site in reusable tableware since 1 January 2023; according to the French Ministry of the Economy, this applies to establishments that can serve at least 20 covers at the same time. The same article has banned the free distribution of plastic bottles containing drinks in establishments open to the public and in workplaces since 1 January 2021, with exceptions such as places without a drinking water network.

International groups also meet rules outside the EU. New York State, for example, bans small plastic bottles of personal care products under 12 oz in hotels with 50 rooms or more since 1 January 2025, and in smaller properties since 1 January 2026.

Other EU countries have their own measures in addition to the regulation. Check with your national hotel or restaurant association.

FAQ

Can hotels still offer miniature toiletries before 2030?

Yes, under the EU regulation, unless a national rule says otherwise. The restriction in Annex V, point 5 applies from 1 January 2030.

Does switching to paper or bioplastic miniatures solve the problem?

No. Point 5 covers single-use packaging for toiletries in any material, not only plastic.

Are refillable dispensers allowed?

Yes. A fixed or refillable dispenser that stays in place for the next guests is not single-use packaging intended for an individual booking, which is what Annex V, point 5 restricts.

Do restaurants outside hotels have to follow these rules?

Yes. Points 3 and 4 of Annex V apply to the whole HORECA sector: hotels, restaurants and catering. Point 5 applies to the accommodation sector only.

Do single-portion sugar sachets in paper count?

Point 4 concerns single-use plastic. Paper-based portions with less than 5% plastic by weight are outside it, according to the Commission guidance of 30 March 2026. Check the plastic content with your supplier.

Who is responsible: the hotel or the supplier?

Article 25(1) bars economic operators from placing these formats on the market, which means supplying them in the EU for the first time. This covers the supplier or importer, and the hotel or restaurant itself when it has the packaging made under its own brand. For food and drinks filled on site, the Commission FAQ treats room service as covered by point 3. Design, labelling and documentation duties sit mainly with the packaging manufacturer or importer.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, Official Journal of the EU: eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj
• European Commission, Transition Pathways for Tourism, Regulation (EU) 2025/40: transition-pathways.europa.eu
• Your Europe, single-use plastics: europa.eu/youreurope
• Latham & Watkins, European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: Summary of Provisions and New Guidance: lw.com
• Baker McKenzie, Navigating the PPWR: insights from the guidance and FAQs published by the EU Commission (10 June 2026): bakermckenzie.com
• European Commission, Guidance document for Regulation (EU) 2025/40, 30 March 2026: environment.ec.europa.eu
• European Commission, FAQ on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, second version, August 2026: environment.ec.europa.eu
• Legifrance, Code de l'environnement, Article L541-15-10: legifrance.gouv.fr
• New York State DEC, small plastic hospitality bottles: dec.ny.gov

Last reviewed on 23 October 2026.