As concern for recycling of plastic takes on high-priority, France proposed a plan to make non-recyclable plastic products 10% more expensive than their recyclable counterparts in 2019, according to an interview published in Journal Du Dimanche (JDD).
France's State Secretary for Ecological and Solidary Transition, Brune Poirson (pictured above) said, "When a customer will have the choice between two bottled drinks, one made with recycled plastics and not the other, the former will be cheaper."
A Signal For Consumers
According to an article in Le Monde, Poirson said that the move is about "sending a signal on price to the consumer, in order for them to favour products that are more eco-friendly."
While Poirson mentioned that the government could levy a tax of up to 10% on non-recyclable products, she did not share details about the plan.
In April this year, the French government announced that it wanted to switch completely to recycled plastics by 2025.
Presently, the measure does not impose any regulatory constraints on manufacturers but regulations will be passed if no results are seen in two years.
According to Poirson, "fifty-five industry and industry federations are committed to doubling the amount of recycled plastic embedded in their products. Others will follow."
Non-Profits Not Convinced
However, several non-profits organisations interviewed by Le Monde are not convinced.
Zero Waste France's Laura Chatel says, "Will it be a 10% tax on the final price of the product, which would be a real incentive to the consumer, or is it only 10% on the price of the packaging between enterprises, which would not change much".
Chatel added that while focusing on recycling is absolutely needed and is a welcome move, it is not enough.
She feels that France should take a page from a current EU-wide trend of actually reducing the use and production of plastics.
Reducing the use of plastics has been a European trend with several retail giants taking active measures.
In the past weeks, Lidl announced that it would phase out disposable plastic products in Denmark.
While German retailer Edeka announced it was launching laser labelling to reduce plastic use, Dutch retailer Plus declared its intention to ban black plastic and provide alternatives for replacing single-use plastics.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
