Croatian Chamber of Trades seeks EU packaging rule clarification for hospitality sector

The Croatian Chamber of Trades (HOK) has asked the Ministry of Environment and Green Transition for an official interpretation of EU Regulation 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste as it applies to the hospitality sector. The regulation, which entered into force on 11 February 2025, will be phased in, with the first obligations for restaurants and take‑away operators beginning on 12 August 2024.

Key requirements include: from 12 February 2027, hospitality businesses must enable refill of food and drink using customers' own containers; from 12 February 2028 they must offer reusable options for food and beverage service; and from 1 January 2030 the use of certain single‑use packaging formats will be limited. HOK President Dalibor Kratohvil warned that “each new obligation also means additional organisational, administrative and financial challenges.”

The ministry’s 2023 data show that more than 320 thousand tonnes of packaging entered the Croatian market, about 83 kg per capita, with paper/cardboard (35 %), glass (27 %) and plastic (22 %) as the most common materials. HOK aims to keep its members informed so they can adapt their business models toward reusable packaging and comply with the upcoming EU rules.