New EU Rules Require Takeout Businesses to Accept Customers Own Containers From 2027

Starting in 2027, restaurants, cafes and other hospitality businesses across the European Union must allow customers to bring their own containers for takeaway food and drinks as part of a major push to reduce plastic waste.The rule is part of the new EU packaging regulations that came into force on Wednesday, which set EU-wide limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—often called “forever chemicals”—in food-contact packaging and set targets to cut the bloc’s waste, ​especially of oil-derived plastics.The obligation is part of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which took effect on Aug. 12.In 2028, a new EU-wide labeling system for waste sorting will come into force, while the most significant measures take effect from 2030.The EU aims to reduce packaging waste by 5 percent by 2030 and 15 percent by 2040 compared with 2018 levels.Jessika Roswall, commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said in an Aug. 11 statement that the rules will “help reduce waste, increase recycling, make food-contact packaging safer for consumers by limiting harmful substances such as PFAS, and reduce our dependence on virgin raw materials.”“These are essential steps towards a truly circular economy,” she added.The key measure entering into application is the restriction on PFAS in food-contact packaging.PFAS have been commonly used in food packaging such as takeaway containers, fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, bakery paper and pizza boxes, to repel water or grease, the EU said.Part of this means that distributors in the Hotel, Restaurant, and Café/Catering (HORECA) sector that make hot or cold beverages or ready-prepared food available in take-away packaging must provide a system for consumers to bring their own container to be filled.They must do this at no extra cost to customers.Also under the rules, from 2030, economic operators may not place the following single-use plastic packaging on the market: individual portions of condiments, sauces, coffee creamer and sugar, pre-packed fruit and vegetables of less than 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds), small single-use cosmetic and toiletry products used in hotels, and most very lightweight plastic bags. Businesses such as manufacturers, suppliers, importers, and distributors must now take significant measures to ensure all obligations are met.A 2016 study published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found evidence that chemicals in the PFAS family could disrupt the human immune system.“The evidence that these chemicals affect multiple aspects of the immune system supports the overall conclusion that both PFOA and PFOS alter immune functions in humans,” the National Institutes of Health website states.A 2024 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, involving 400 Finnish mother-child pairs, found that higher prenatal exposure to certain “forever chemicals” was associated with increased odds of childhood leukemia.PFAS can be destroyed, but only through a tightly controlled process.According to a 2025 UK Environment Agency review, high-temperature incineration under strict conditions is the only way to destroy PFAS at scale.NXT EU, an online pan-European federalist advocacy movement, criticized the law, saying it created 27 overlapping national compliance regimes instead of a single set of rules, which it claimed will only benefit giant corporations. “The EU’s new packaging regulations will profit Amazon & Temu and make it nearly impossible for smaller European players to sell across the Union,” it said in an Aug. 9 post on X.“They already operate at continental scale and can absorb the paperwork. For a small manufacturer or online seller in Portugal, Poland or Sweden who wants to reach customers in other EU countries, it will simply be impossible,” it added.