In Germany, the law for offering reusable packaging (Mehrwegangebotspflicht) came into force at the beginning of 2023. However, the obligation to provide reusable packaging has not yet led to a noticeable increase in the proportion of reusable packaging in the gastronomy. In 2023, this was only 1.6 percent. In its current form, the law relies on a high level of initiative from restaurants and customers to promote and use reusable packaging. However, in times when restaurants are facing many other challenges, reusable packaging can only be successful if there are further incentives and the responsibility is spread across several shoulders – according to the authors of the impulse paper.

To achieve a sustainable turnaround in out-of-home packaging, the paper identifies the levers that the federal government and local authorities should pull to promote the "reusable system":

• Introduce a uniform federal levy on single-use packaging
• Expanding the obligation to offer reusable packaging and promoting take-back structures
• Promote reusable packaging and take-back infrastructure as a municipal responsibility

Measures for the use of reusable packaging for restaurateurs can be found in the recommendations for action from this series. (DE)