March 29. 2024. 3:58

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Three years later, a first stock-take of France’s anti-waste law


France’s anti-waste law, enacted in 2020, aims to phase out single-use plastic packaging by 2040, eliminate waste and encourage reuse. Three years later, EURACTIV takes a first look at whether the legislation was a success or not.

The fast-food sector in France produces 180,000 tonnes of packaging each year, which is immediately thrown away after use, even for meals consumed on-site, according to the French environment ministry.

As of January 2023, the French Anti-waste Law for a Circular Economy (AGEC) obliges fast-food restaurants to use reusable tableware for their customers’ meals and drinks.

The French Environment Ministry said the measure would decrease the consumption of plastic and cardboard material which in weight is the equivalent of around 20 Eiffel Towers or 20 billion fewer disposable tableware items, the government said.

The French law inspired the EU’s own packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR). Tabled in November last year, the PPWR introduced a ban on single-use packaging for dine-in restaurants from 1 January 2030.

Brussels tables new reuse and recycling targets to slash packaging waste

The European Commission on Wednesday (30 November) tabled proposals to tackle rising amounts of packaging waste in the EU by introducing new targets for reuse and recycling.

But three years later, was the French law a success?

For some, the answer is an undeniable yes. The law is “a move in the right direction”, says Marta de Cidra, a right-wing lawmaker who is vice-president of the sustainable development committee of the French Senate for the Les Républicains party.

According to her, reuse drives the local economy, whereas single-use packaging “can come from all over the world”, she said at an event held on 12 April in Paris.

The event was the occasion to take stock of recent studies on packaging used for takeaway and eat-in meals carried out by Swedish consultancy Ramboll.

And their conclusions were counter-intuitive. Even though many would agree that reusable packaging is more environmentally-friendly than throw-away items, it is not always the case.

A study by Ramboll for the European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA), which brings together the paper-based food packaging industry, compared the environmental impact of each tableware product against several factors, including CO2 emissions, water consumption and the depletion of mineral and fossil resources.

The study identifies the environmental “hot spots” of disposable and reuse systems, namely paper production for the first and washing and drying for the second.

Its conclusion is that reusable tableware always consumes more energy and water than disposable items, whatever the alternative materials considered: whether plastic, porcelain or metal tableware, with varying recycling rates.

At European level, the switch to reusable tableware is likely to generate 2.8 times more CO2 and consume 3.4 times more water, the study said.

McDonald’s warns EU packaging law will cause plastic surge

A shift from single-use recyclable packaging to reusables in the informal eating-out sector could have detrimental effects on the environment, the economy and food safety, according to a new study commissioned by McDonald’s.

Reuse and recycling ‘not mutually exclusive’

People who attended the event included David Schisler, the President of CEE R Schisler, a leading supplier of tableware for fast-food restaurants.

Echoing earlier comments by Senator Marta de Cidra, he underlined that the paper and cardboard sector is a truly European industry which provides local jobs and economic growth to EU countries and regions.

“If McDonald’s switched to porcelain plates, they would definitely not come from Europe,” he remarked.

In any case, disposable and reusable packaging are not mutually exclusive, stressed Jean Hornain, the CEO of Citeo, a not-for-profit company responsible for implementing the packaging industry’s obligation to recycle household waste in France.

Determining which solution is best depends on individual use cases, Hornain said. Reuse can indeed be more environmentally friendly if the packaging is manufactured locally, standardised, and if return rates are high, Citeo notes.

But for other products, “the environmental and economic balance of reuse is less efficient than its recycled single-use equivalent,” Citeo says.

Therefore, “we must continue to recycle to give our citizens confidence in our ability to meet the challenge of climate change,” Hornain said.

This is especially true as the issue of takeaway packaging is likely to become increasingly crucial as takeaway food consumption becomes more widespread, he added.

This trend was also noted by Senator de Cidrac, who said: “Today, one in two young people cannot do without home delivery of food”. Indeed, 60% of 18-34-year-olds are more or less regular customers of delivery services, an IFOP survey confirmed.

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