PPWR Banned Packaging Formats: The Six Annex V Restrictions from 1 January 2030

From 1 January 2030, Article 25(1) of the PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) bars economic operators from placing on the market packaging in the six formats and uses listed in Annex V: five single-use plastic formats and single-use hotel toiletry packaging of any material.

The format bans are one of the rules of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which has been in force since 11 February 2025 and applies generally since 12 August 2026. Annex V is a list of restricted formats tied to restricted uses, not a ban on single-use plastic packaging as such: a format is caught only when it is used in the way the annex describes.

This page sets out each point with its exemptions, the Commission's 5 % plastic reading, the Member State options and the guidelines due by 12 February 2027.

Compiled by the PackagingRegulation.org Editorial Team from the Regulation's text on EUR-Lex and the cited official sources; every value on this page is checked against EUR-Lex and Commission guidance, see our methodology and fact-checking.

The key facts of Article 25 and Annex V PPWR are summarised in the table below.

What Does Article 25 PPWR Ban from 1 January 2030?

Article 25(1) PPWR states that economic operators shall not place on the market packaging in the formats and for the uses listed in Annex V, from 1 January 2030. Annex V sets out each point in three columns: packaging format, restricted use and illustrative example. The examples are not exhaustive, according to the Commission's PPWR FAQ (non-binding), section XII. Single-use packaging is packaging which is not reusable packaging (Art. 3(1)(28) PPWR).

The 1 January 2030 start comes later than the general rule of Art. 4(1) PPWR, under which packaging may be placed on the market only if it complies with the Regulation from 12 August 2026. The 1 January 2030 date is one of several PPWR application dates, which run up to 2040.

Is the PPWR single-use plastic ban a ban on all single-use plastic packaging?

No: the PPWR restricts only the six formats and uses in Annex V, and other single-use plastic packaging stays allowed if it meets the other PPWR requirements. Four further items belong to a different act: extruded polystyrene (XPS) food and beverage containers and cups, luggage shrink wrap at airports or train stations, polystyrene and other plastic chips and multi-pack plastic rings are bans added to the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904 by Art. 67(5) PPWR, applying from 12 February 2029, and are not Annex V formats.

What Are the Six Annex V Restrictions?

Annex V PPWR lists six restricted packaging formats, each tied to a specific use: grouped packaging, fresh produce, HORECA dine-in, HORECA portions, hotel toiletries and very lightweight carrier bags. The full wording of each point sits in Annex V in the PPWR legal text.

The table below shortens the Annex V wording of each point and its main exemption.

1. Single-use plastic grouped packaging (collation films and shrink wrap)

Annex V point 1 PPWR bans single-use plastic packaging used at the point of sale to group goods sold in bottles, cans, tins, pots, tubs and packets, where it is designed as convenience packaging to make consumers buy more than one product. Collation films and shrink wrap are the illustrative examples. The point excludes "grouped packaging necessary to facilitate handling". Grouped packaging is one of the PPWR definitions in Art. 3(1)(6): packaging conceived to constitute a grouping of a certain number of sales units at the point of sale.

Does the grouped packaging ban cover B2B packaging?

No: the Commission's PPWR FAQ states that B2B situations are not covered by the point 1 ban. Section XII words it as "As regards B2B situations, they are not covered by the ban".

2. Single-use plastic packaging for less than 1.5 kg of fresh fruit and vegetables

Annex V point 2 PPWR bans single-use plastic packaging for less than 1.5 kg of pre-packed fresh fruit and vegetables, such as nets, bags, trays and containers.

Member States may set up exemptions from point 2 where there is a demonstrated need to avoid water loss, turgidity loss, microbiological hazards, physical shocks or oxidation. A further ground is to avoid commingling organic and non-organic produce, as governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production (OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 1).

3. Single-use plastic packaging for food and drink consumed in HORECA premises

Annex V point 3 PPWR bans single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages filled and consumed within the premises in the HORECA sector, including all eating areas inside and outside, standing areas and jointly offered eating areas. The HORECA sector means Accommodation and Food Service Activities according to NACE Rev. 2 (Art. 3(1)(35) PPWR). Trays, disposable plates and cups, bags and boxes are the illustrative examples, and establishments without access to drinking water are exempt. Every other packaging duty of restaurants, cafés and hotels is covered under PPWR for hospitality and food service.

Are room service, festivals and food delivery covered?

The Commission's PPWR FAQ reads point 3 broadly for consumption on the premises and narrowly for anything that leaves them. The three cases it addresses in section XII are listed below.

• Room service: covered by point 3.
• Festivals and sports venues: covered, since they count as HORECA under NACE Rev. 2.
• Delivery outside the premises: not covered by point 3; Art. 32 and 33 PPWR apply instead, explained under PPWR rules for takeaway food and drinks.

4. Single-use plastic portion packaging: sachets for condiments, sauces, sugar and creamer

Annex V point 4 PPWR bans single-use plastic packaging for individual portions or servings of condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning in the HORECA sector, such as sachets, tubs, trays and boxes. Annex V itself lists the two exceptions below.

• (a) Portions provided with take-away ready-prepared food intended for immediate consumption.
• (b) Portions required for safety and hygiene reasons where there is a medical requirement for individualised care, for example in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.

The Commission's PPWR FAQ, section XII, states that there is no legal basis for exemptions in other sectors, for example schools.

5. Hotel miniatures: single-use toiletry packaging for an individual booking

Annex V point 5 PPWR bans single-use packaging for cosmetic, hygiene and toiletry products used in the accommodation sector that is intended for an individual booking and to be discarded before the next guest arrives. Shampoo bottles, hand and body lotion bottles and sachets around bar soap are the illustrative examples. Point 5 is the only Annex V point not limited to plastic.

Point 5 has no size threshold. The Commission proposal COM(2022) 677 limited the ban to less than 50 ml for liquid products or less than 100 g for non-liquid products, and the adopted text dropped that limit. Other packaging rules for toiletries are covered under PPWR for cosmetics.

6. Very lightweight plastic carrier bags

Annex V point 6 PPWR bans very lightweight plastic carrier bags, meaning bags with a wall thickness below 15 microns, unless they are required for hygiene reasons or provided as sales packaging for loose food where this helps prevent food wastage. Very thin bags provided for bulk groceries are the illustrative example (thickness class: Art. 3(1)(57) PPWR).

Compostable very lightweight bags get no separate treatment: the Commission's PPWR FAQ reads them as covered by the point 6 ban unless one of the two exemptions applies. Thickness classes and the national consumption target are explained under plastic carrier bags under the PPWR.

Does Paper Packaging with a Plastic Layer Fall under the Annex V Bans?

It can: according to Notice C/2026/3084, composite packaging, including paper-based packaging, containing 5 % or more plastic is covered by the bans in Annex V points 1 to 4, while packaging with not more than 5 % plastic is not. The reading sits in sections 16 and 17 of Commission Notice C/2026/3084 (OJ C, 10.6.2026).

The 5 % reading is a Commission interpretation in a non-binding notice, not a threshold written into Annex V. It runs parallel to a separate rule of the Regulation itself: under Art. 3(1)(24) PPWR, a material that makes up no more than 5 % of the total mass of a packaging unit does not make that unit composite packaging. Point 5 is unaffected by either, since it covers hotel toiletry packaging of any material.

Which Exemptions and National Derogations Apply to the Annex V Restrictions?

The Annex V restrictions carry their own exemptions inside points 2, 3, 4 and 6, plus two Member State options in Art. 25 and a transition rule in Art. 70(4) PPWR.

The table below compares the Member State options by who decides, which points they reach and how long they last.

Can micro-enterprises in the HORECA sector keep single-use plastic packaging?

Only if their Member State allows it: under Art. 25(4) PPWR, Member States may let micro-enterprises use point 3 packaging where it is not technically feasible to avoid it or to access re-use infrastructure. The option covers point 3 only. A micro-enterprise employs fewer than 10 persons and has an annual turnover or balance sheet total not above EUR 2 million, under Recommendation 2003/361/EC as applicable on 11 February 2025. Other reliefs are listed under PPWR rules for micro-enterprises.

Can Member States keep their own packaging bans?

Yes, within two limits: Art. 25(2) PPWR lets Member States keep restrictions adopted before 1 January 2025 on Annex V formats made from materials that Annex V does not list, and Art. 70(4) lets them keep national rules on the point 2 and 3 formats until 1 January 2030. Art. 25(2) is a derogation from Art. 4(2), which otherwise forbids Member States to prohibit, restrict or impede packaging that complies with Arts 5 to 12 PPWR.

Art. 70(4) PPWR covers national provisions restricting the point 2 and 3 formats and uses, and Art. 4(3) does not apply to them until 1 January 2030. Directive 94/62/EC is repealed with effect from 12 August 2026, and Art. 70(1)(a) to (d) lists the provisions that carry over, compared in PPWR vs the Packaging Directive 94/62/EC.

What Will the Commission's Annex V Guidelines Settle by 12 February 2027?

By 12 February 2027, the Commission must publish guidelines on Annex V, in consultation with the Member States and EFSA, with examples of the restricted formats, the exemptions and a non-exhaustive list of fruits and vegetables excluded from point 2. The legal basis is Art. 25(6) PPWR. The guidelines are not binding: the Regulation does not empower the Commission to set a harmonised exemption list by implementing or delegated act.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) holds a mandate on fresh produce packaging, M-2025-00078 (question EFSA-Q-2025-00456). Its call for data ran from 16 December 2025 to 30 January 2026. The mandate covers microbiological hazards of unprocessed fresh produce sold with no packaging, in single-use plastic and in alternatives, and excludes chemical hazards. Microbiological hazards are also one of the grounds on which Member States may exempt produce from point 2.

How Do the Annex V Restrictions Fit with Other PPWR Requirements and the Single-Use Plastics Directive?

Annex V closes the PPWR packaging requirements: where the other rules set design and composition values, Art. 25 restricts listed formats for listed uses. The substance, recyclability, recycled content, minimisation and labelling rules that come before Annex V are explained under PPWR requirements for packaging.

Art. 25 applies without prejudice to Art. 9(2), point (b), PPWR (Art. 25(3)). That provision lets a Member State with bio-waste co-collection keep requiring packaging to be compostable where it already required this before the Regulation's date of application.

Formats that Annex V allows still meet every other PPWR rule. Food-contact packaging, for example, must respect the PFAS limits of Art. 5(5) PPWR, which apply from 12 August 2026. This page covers the EU rule only.

Which rule prevails for HORECA dine-in packaging, the PPWR or the SUPD?

For single-use plastic packaging listed in Annex V point 3, Art. 25(1) and (6) PPWR prevail over the consumption-reduction measures of Art. 4 of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904, under the new Art. 2(3) inserted by Art. 67(1)(b) PPWR. Outside that case, the SUPD remains the special rule and prevails within its own scope (recital 180 PPWR and SUPD Art. 2(2) as replaced). The SUPD product bans and their interplay with Annex V are compared in PPWR vs the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Do the Annex V restrictions apply on aircraft, trains and ferries?

Yes: recital 93 PPWR explains that restricted packaging is placed on the market on aircraft, trains, cruise ships, ferries, yachts and boats with on-board catering when they travel with it to or within the Union. Recital 93 is interpretative, not an operative provision.

When will the Commission review Annex V?

By 12 February 2032, the Commission must assess Art. 25 and Annex V and, where appropriate, propose amendments. The legal basis is Art. 25(5) PPWR. The format bans start the same year as other rules listed under PPWR 2030 deadlines.

How did Annex V change from the 2022 proposal?

The Commission proposal COM(2022) 677 listed five formats, and very lightweight plastic carrier bags were added as point 6 during the legislative procedure. The proposal's points 2 to 4 covered single-use packaging of any material, and the adopted text limits them to plastic. The adopted point 2 also adds oxidation and organic commingling to the proposal's exemption grounds of water loss, turgidity loss, microbiological hazards and physical shocks.