Recycling in France – The New Requirements
France has ambitious goals for its recycling rate of single-use plastics. By 2025, France aims to use only 100% recycled plastics. However, a commission report reveals that France is falling behind its recycling targets. In 2020, only 20.1% of the set 50% of recycled plastics were achieved. Recently, the European Commission urged France to significantly strengthen its measures. In response, the country has introduced regulations for product sheets and recyclability in France as the next step. Simultaneously, the government increased financial support with several million euros to assist local and regional authorities in implementing all necessary measures.
France has set ambitious recycling goals, aiming for 100% recycled plastics usage by 2025. However, the recycling rate was only about 20.1%, well below expectations. Consequently, the European Commission has urged France to take stronger measures. As a response, recycling in France has been expanded with the obligation to provide product sheets informing about recyclability. These initiatives aim to enhance recycling and facilitate implementation.
What is Important About Recycling in France?
France aligns with European legislation, emphasizing high recycling rates and waste reduction. EU directives, notably the Waste Framework Directive, provide the basis for member states to enact their own, often stricter, national regulations. France has implemented tailored laws and regulations to boost recycling rates and curtail waste production. Compliance with extended producer responsibility (EPR) mandates is central, compelling producers to shoulder costs for collection, recycling, or disposal of their products.
Since 2022, the French environmental agency ADEME issues the “Identifiant Unique” (Unique Identification Number) as evidence of companies meeting their recycling obligations.
Effective September 9, 2022, all sales packaging in France must display the Triman logo alongside specialized separation instructions.
How Does Recycling Work in France?
Recycling in France, similar to Germany, involves sorting collected waste such as packaging, electronics, glass, and textiles into specific recycling streams. Packaging waste is disposed of in designated containers: non-glass packaging goes into the “Yellow Bin,” while glass packaging is discarded in the green glass container. Like in other EU countries, companies in France are required to take back certain product groups, such as batteries and electronic devices. This is done as part of implementing EU directives such as the WEEE Directive for waste electrical and electronic equipment and the European Battery Directive (BattG).
What Are the Requirements for Recyclability in France?
France imposes specific recyclability requirements depending on the industry, aiming to minimize environmental impacts and promote sustainability:
- Electronics: Starting from 2024, electrical and electronic devices in France must be labeled with a repairability and durability index. This index is intended to help consumers assess the longevity and repairability of products better, contributing to reducing electronic waste.
- Packaging: Packaging in France must be clearly labeled, including information on compostability and reuse. These labels facilitate recycling and optimize the disposal of packaging materials by ensuring proper separation and processing of materials.
- Materials: Products promoting recycling in France must indicate the proportion of recycled material and the use of renewable resources. High transparency fosters awareness and demand for products sourced from sustainable origins, helping reduce reliance on non-renewable resources.
- Precious Metals and Rare Earths: Electronic devices and vehicles must specify whether and which precious metals and rare earths they contain. This measure in France’s recycling is crucial to conserve valuable materials, often present in limited quantities, and reduce the significant environmental impact of extraction.
- Safety: Products with hazardous substances must be clearly labeled to ensure proper handling by consumers and recycling facilities.
- Textiles: Companies must provide traceability and microfiber presence information, aligning with responsible consumer decision-making and reducing environmental impact from microfiber emissions.
New Regulations for Product Sheets and Recyclability in France
Under producer responsibility, a regulation for recycling in France has been introduced, obligating manufacturers to provide detailed information on the recyclability of their products. This information must be available in product sheets containing comprehensive details about the materials used and the possibilities for recycling and reusing the products. The obligation to provide consumer information on recyclability in France will be phased in between 2023 and 2025. However, the requirements for recycling in France do not apply equally to all companies. Instead, they depend on specific thresholds. Companies generating less than 10 million euros in revenue in the French market or distributing fewer than 10,000 units of the affected products are exempt from this obligation.
- Commercial Electrical and Electronic Equipment: No obligation to provide consumer information, as they are not intended for end consumers.
- Different EPR Channels: For a combination of products assigned to different EPR channels (e.g., a small number of electrical and electronic devices and a large number of packaging), the environmental display must cover both channels.
- Recyclability Labeling:
- No indication required if recyclability is below 50%.
- “Mainly recyclable product” if recyclability is between 50% and 95%.
- “Fully recyclable product” if recyclability exceeds 95%.
