From January 01, 2023, restaurants, bistros, and cafés will be obliged to offer to-go food and beverages also in reusable packaging. This directive to offer reusable packaging was adopted with the amendment to the Packaging Act in May 2021 and is intended to help replace single-use plastic packaging in particular.
These are further requirements:
- The new directive must be complied with by establishments that sell take-away packaging with food or beverages to consumers. Affected are therefore restaurants, cafés, bistros, but also canteens, gas stations, supermarkets or catering businesses.
- Regardless of whether the product is offered in disposable or reusable takeaway packaging, consumers are to pay the same price. However, reusable packaging is allowed to be issued in return for a deposit, which is refunded upon return.
- In addition, appropriate reusable cups must be available for different sizes of to-go beverage on offer.
Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, said: "We need a real trend reversal in the use of packaging. For years, the consumption of packaging has been rising steadily. The new obligation to offer reusable packaging can make a decisive contribution here. Consumers will then always be able to choose reusable packaging to take away, and in this way we will strengthen waste prevention in a consumer sector with a particularly high level of packaging waste. Germany is a pioneer in this area throughout the EU. To ensure that reusable packaging soon becomes the standard in all member states, I am campaigning for ambitious targets in the new EU Packaging Regulation. At the same time, we in Germany can do even more for the packaging turnaround."
Source: BMUV
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