Croatian cafés, restaurants and hotels will operate under new EU packaging rules from August, extending the bloc's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) into the country's hospitality sector.

The provisions apply uniformly across all 27 EU member states under the regulation adopted in 2024. Croatian hospitality businesses — from independent cafés in Zagreb and Split to hotel chains along the Adriatic coast — fall within scope.

What does the August deadline require?

The August implementation triggers specific PPWR provisions aimed at the food service sector. Key requirements affecting operators include:

• Restrictions on certain single-use packaging formats for food and beverages consumed on-premises
• New labelling and information obligations for takeaway and delivery packaging
• Mandatory reuse or refill options for specific beverage containers in hotels and catering venues
• Recyclability criteria that packaging supplied to hospitality businesses must meet

Operators must verify that packaging sourced from suppliers — cups, containers, cutlery, wraps, room amenities — complies with the new technical standards.

Who is in scope?

All HORECA businesses in Croatia that place packaged goods on the market or supply packaged food and beverages to guests fall under the rules. The requirements apply regardless of business size, from a single independent café to large hotel groups.

Tourism contributes roughly 20% of Croatia's GDP in peak years, and hotels along the Adriatic — particularly in Istria and Dalmatia — rely heavily on international guests. Operators face the dual pressure of EU regulation and visitor expectations on sustainability.

What do operators need to do?

Operational steps for Croatian hospitality businesses include:

• Audit current packaging suppliers against new PPWR conformity standards
• Update procurement contracts to require technical documentation from suppliers
• Train staff on new sorting, reuse or labelling procedures
• Adjust point-of-sale systems if deposit-return or reuse schemes apply
• Update guest-facing information for takeaway, room service and amenity items

Hotels face additional requirements for in-room amenities — individually packaged soaps, shampoos and toiletries — under related single-use plastics rules already in force and now reinforced by the PPWR framework.

How does this affect Croatian suppliers?

Croatian packaging manufacturers and importers supplying cafés, restaurants and hotels must meet the same conformity standards. Operators sourcing domestically should expect documentation requests from suppliers as the August date approaches.

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development in Zagreb holds primary responsibility for transposition enforcement, working with the State Inspectorate and market surveillance authorities.

What changes for investors?

The PPWR effectively raises the cost of non-compliant packaging and creates a procurement filter that favours suppliers with documented conformity. Hotel groups operating across multiple EU jurisdictions gain a structural advantage: standardised packaging specifications can be rolled out across portfolios rather than renegotiated per market.

Private equity-backed hospitality platforms with Croatian exposure will need to confirm packaging compliance within their asset-level operational audits before the August date.

What happens next?

Operators have until August to align procurement, signage and operational procedures. From the implementation date, market surveillance authorities can begin checks. Non-compliant packaging placed on the Croatian market after the deadline becomes subject to enforcement action, with potential fines and product withdrawal.

The PPWR's broader reuse and recyclability targets continue phasing in through 2030, meaning the August deadline marks the start of a multi-year compliance trajectory rather than a single event. Subsequent reporting obligations under the regulation are expected to require Croatian operators to disclose packaging volumes and reuse rates to national authorities.