(GUF) LITTLE BOTTLES

Well done to South Australia for banning those little plastic soy fish that swim straight from sushi trays into landfill but the EU is going even further.

Across the EU, hotels supply approximately 10 billion single-use hotel mini-toiletries (those 30 ml shampoo and body-wash bottles) annually; in addition, food service supplies around 40 billion single-use condiment sachets (ketchup, mayo, sauce, etc) a year, most unrecyclable multi-layer films and the EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is finally coming for the industry’s most convenient inconvenience.

Article 22 & Annex V targets single-use packaging for consumables used in the hospitality and food service sectors that can be reasonably replaced by reusable or refillable systems. Reuse systems (wall dispensers, pump bottles, refill stations) are documented to reduce waste by up to 90% per guest. It’s a clear signal that design-for-reuse is no longer optional.

With the ban taking effect gradually from 2030 (final Parliament text currently points to a 2030 full prohibition with some earlier targets for reuse roll-out), exemptions exist only if no hygiene-safe refill or reusable system exists.

The ban covers hotels, cruise lines, airlines, hostels, fast food, takeaways, event caterers, all brand owners & importers supplying the EU market (even UK exporters). Even if the UK diverges post-Brexit, exporters to the EU will need PPWR-compliant refill formats.

A big pat on the back for the EU is due (could be sooner) and a big wake up call to the UK is needed - there is no UK law exactly like the PPWR’s ban on mini toiletries & sachets ready (as far as I'm aware). PPWR - link - more like this - link