PPWR banned packaging formats: the list explained

The list of "packaging banned in 2030" covers 6 single-use packaging formats that may no longer be placed on the European market from 1 January 2030. This is Annex V of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). There are 2 misconceptions to clear up immediately: the final text sets no 50 ml threshold for hotel miniatures, and pallet film is not on the list.

The sections below explain where the list comes from and why it is shorter than expected, the bans in each sector and who is affected and when. They distinguish banned formats from those subject to targets and those still permitted, then explain how to choose an alternative without shifting the impact elsewhere. For the wider Regulation, see the complete PPWR guide.

1Annex V sets the final list of banned packaging formats

Annex V is the PPWR's list of banned single-use packaging formats, deemed avoidable because reuse or loose sales can already fulfil their function. It applies from 1 January 2030 (Article 25). As the PPWR is a regulation, rather than a directive, it applies directly and identically in all 27 Member States, without a French law being needed to bring it into effect.

The final list contains 6 formats rather than 7 because the announcements in 2024 described a proposal rather than the adopted text. The 50 ml threshold for miniatures was removed (the format is targeted, rather than its capacity), pallet film was removed from the banned list and made subject to a reuse target and very lightweight bags were added. In March 2026, the Commission published a guidance document that establishes the interpretation of each entry.

2What is banned: 6 formats across 3 sectors

The 6 entries in Annex V affect sectors differently. 3 sectors account for most of the change, each with its own requirements: a change in service for hotels, an area where food service has already made progress, and a data and procurement exercise for retailers.

Hotels: miniature toiletries and individual portions

Point 5 bans cosmetic and hygiene miniatures supplied with a room and discarded between 2 guests: shampoo bottles, lotions and small bars of soap. A significant feature is that this is the only entry covering all materials, rather than just plastic. Cardboard or "compostable" miniatures are banned too. This is accompanied by the ban on single-use plastic packaging for individual portions served at the table (point 4): jam, sugar and coffee creamer; takeaway sales are not covered. Alternatives are already available off the shelf, including refillable dispensers, pump formats and tabletop containers, and their impact can be quantified in a hotel Bilan Carbone® (the French carbon accounting method) (in French).

Food service: tableware for consumption on the premises

Point 3 bans single-use plastic packaging filled and consumed on the premises: plates, cups, trays and boxes. Takeaway sales are not covered, establishments without access to drinking water are exempt, and Member States may grant derogations for micro-enterprises where reuse is technically impossible. For the French market, the change is less substantial than it may seem: the AGEC law (France's Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Act) has already required reusable tableware for consumption on the premises in fast-food restaurants since 2023.

Retail: multipacks, fruit and vegetables, very lightweight bags

3 entries affect the retail sector: plastic film multipacks used purely for convenience (point 1), plastic bags and trays for less than 1.5 kg of fresh fruit and vegetables (point 2, with national derogations and a list of exclusions expected for February 2027) and very lightweight bags less than 15 microns thick (point 6). For this packaging, the alternative often involves selling loose or redesigning the materials, rather than simply changing supplier.

3Who is affected and when the ban takes effect: 1 January 2030

Producers are covered regardless of size

The Regulation applies to the producer: anyone making a packaged product available for sale in the EU, with no size threshold, including importers, e-commerce companies and retailers selling under their own brand. A hotel or restaurant is not the producer of its consumables, but the ban affects its purchasing: in 2030, its suppliers may no longer deliver the listed formats. The producer test uses just a few questions to help you identify your role.

The earlier deadline: the declaration of conformity in 2026

The ban takes effect on 1 January 2030, but preparation starts earlier. Since 12 August 2026, every producer has had to draw up a declaration of conformity for each packaging type, signed and kept for 5 to 10 years. The inventory it requires is exactly the one needed to prepare for 2030, so it makes sense to do it once. The sequence is set out in the timeline of deadlines.

Severity and urgency: two separate assessments

Severity depends on your role. The producer signs the declaration and is accountable to the authorities: keeping a banned format in the catalogue in 2030 is an infringement. The buyer of consumables (a hotel or restaurant) does not risk a fine on this point, but faces a supply disruption and a replacement negotiated at the worst possible moment. Urgency depends on the route to replacement: 6 to 12 months where an alternative is available off the shelf, 12 to 18 months where it requires an industrial redesign with tests and life cycle assessment (LCA).

4Banned, subject to a target or still permitted: distinct statuses

These distinctions are often confused. 3 statuses coexist on 1 January 2030, and separating them avoids unnecessary work:

• Banned: the 6 formats in Annex V. They leave the market.
• Subject to a target (regulated, rather than banned): pallet film has a 40% reuse target (Article 29), and empty space in parcels will be capped at 50% (Article 24), from 2030 at the earliest. These formats remain, but must evolve.
• Still permitted: anything neither listed nor subject to a target, provided it meets recyclability and recycled content requirements, which apply from the same date at the earliest.

The useful approach is to distinguish packaging subject to a target from banned packaging, without confusing the two. Pallet film is retained and reused; hotel miniatures disappear.

5What remains permitted: choosing without shifting the problem elsewhere

Each entry has alternatives, but compliant does not mean better. A common mistake in compliance work is to switch materials simply to meet the rule: producing a paper bag often generates more emissions than producing thin film, a reusable cup only offsets the impact of washing over successive cycles, and bioplastics (in French) shift some of the impact to land use.

At Projet Celsius, our decision rule is simple: we do not switch a format before measuring it. Only a comparative LCA (in French), which considers all impacts across the full life cycle, can distinguish between 2 alternatives. A comparative packaging LCA costs between €20,000 and €50,000 for 3 to 5 packaging types and takes around 4 months. The Diag Éco-conception (eco-design diagnostic) from Bpifrance (the French public investment bank) funds part of this for eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while Diag Décarbon'Action (carbon footprint programme) (in French) covers the Bilan Carbone®. Our packaging eco-design method explains how to make this comparison without deciding on the material alone.

A final blind spot: presenting packaging that merely meets the rules as "environmentally friendly" creates 2 risks, because claims are regulated by the EmpCo Directive, on empowering consumers for the green transition; the method for substantiating a claim (in French) also applies to your packaging.

6Key takeaways

• 6 formats, rather than 7: plastic multipacks, packaging for fruit and vegetables < 1.5 kg, tableware for consumption on the premises, individual portions, accommodation miniatures and bags < 15 microns, banned from 1 January 2030.
• Miniature hotel toiletries are banned regardless of material, with no 50 ml threshold: the format is targeted, rather than plastic.
• Pallet film is not banned: it has a 40% reuse target; empty space in parcels is capped at 50%.
• Severity depends on your role: the producer signs the declaration, while the buyer manages a supply disruption.
• Qualifying an alternative takes 6 to 12 months, and only a comparative LCA prevents the impact shifting elsewhere.

The practical timetable before 2030 comes down to decision windows: 2027-2028 for industrial redesigns and the end of 2028 for off-the-shelf solutions. An inventory of the affected packaging types has been needed since 12 August 2026 for the declaration of conformity: it is the common first step for all deadlines in the PPWR timeline.

Further resources

Frequently asked questions

1Are all miniature hotel toiletries banned under the PPWR?

Miniatures supplied with the room and discarded between 2 guests are banned: bottles, lotions and sachets containing small bars of soap, regardless of material. This is the only entry in Annex V that covers more than plastic. Fixed refillable formats and wall-mounted dispensers remain permitted.

2Does PPWR Annex V apply to cardboard packaging?

Yes, in part. 5 of the 6 entries cover single-use plastic, but accommodation miniatures are banned regardless of material, including cardboard and compostable materials. For other uses, cardboard is mainly subject to recyclability and recycled content requirements, rather than banned formats.

3Are pallet film and multipack wrapping the same thing?

No. Film-wrapped multipacks used purely for convenience are banned (Annex V). Pallet film is not banned: it is subject to a 40% reuse target in 2030 (Article 29). One leaves the market, while the other must move towards reuse.

4Can I sell remaining stock after the 2030 ban takes effect?

The ban applies to placing on the market, meaning the first time it is made available in the EU. A batch already placed on the market before 2030 may be sold through; a batch imported or first marketed after that date is illegal, even if it was manufactured earlier.

5Does the PPWR apply without a French implementing law?

Yes. It is a directly applicable European regulation: the same rules apply in all 27 Member States on the dates specified in the text. Only the penalty regime is set nationally, by February 2027 at the latest, with mandatory administrative fines and possible withdrawal from the market.

6Can I use newspaper or recovered materials as void fill?

Yes. Annex V targets specific formats: hotel miniatures, disposable tableware for consumption on the premises, bags for small quantities of fruit and vegetables, overpackaging with no function, single-portion condiment sachets and very lightweight bags. It does not cover recovered materials used as void fill. Paper is also the material most favourably treated by the Regulation, and reusing what you already have is part of the source reduction encouraged by the text. There are two practical caveats: choose plain paper for food products or products sensitive to ink transfer, and remember that the French extended producer responsibility (EPR) declaration is still required for parcels sent to individuals, including void fill.

7Does the PPWR ban all plastic packaging?

No, the Regulation contains no general ban on plastic. Annex V lists 6 single-use packaging formats that may no longer be placed on the market from 1 January 2030: 5 cover plastic in specific situations, while the entry on hotel miniatures covers all materials. Other plastic packaging is regulated through different requirements: mandatory recyclability, minimum recycled plastic content and, for parcels, an empty space ratio capped at 50%, so recyclable plastic packaging containing recycled material remains marketable after 2030.

8Are all plastic fruit and vegetable trays banned?

No, only single-use plastic packaging containing less than 1.5 kg of fresh fruit and vegetables is covered by entry 2 of Annex V, from 1 January 2030. Above that weight, the format is not listed. Member States may also grant derogations where packaging is needed to prevent water loss, microbiological risks or physical shocks, and the Commission must publish a list of excluded fruit and vegetables by February 2027. Trays that remain must meet recyclability and recycled plastic content requirements, which apply from the same date at the earliest.

9Does a restaurant still using these formats in 2030 risk a fine?

In principle, no, because the ban applies to placing on the market and therefore targets the producer: a manufacturer established in the Union, an importer or a retailer selling under its own brand. A restaurant buying consumables is not the producer of those products. The risk is commercial: from 1 January 2030, its suppliers may no longer deliver the formats listed in Annex V. It is better to prepare the replacement, which takes 6 to 12 months where an alternative is already available off the shelf, to avoid supply disruption and a change negotiated under pressure.

10Are disposable cups and trays in my workplace canteen affected?

Very likely, if they are single-use plastic and meals are consumed on the premises. Entry 3 of Annex V bans this packaging (plates, cups, trays and boxes) from 1 January 2030 within premises in the hotel, restaurant and catering (HORECA) sector, which the Regulation defines as accommodation and food service under NACE, the statistical classification of economic activities. This includes institutional catering provided by a contractor. Takeaway sales are not covered, establishments without access to drinking water are exempt, and Member States may grant derogations for micro-enterprises where reuse is technically impossible.

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