On 21 October 2024, the French government opened a consultation on a draft decree “relating to professional packaging and packaging waste and establishing the extended producer responsibility channel for packaging consumed or used by professionals”, which will complement the already established EPR for “household packaging”.
The context
In 2020, almost 13 million tonnes of packaging waste were generated, taking all types of packaging together. Almost 61% of this waste, i.e. 8 million tonnes, was professional packaging.
While the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system has applied to household packaging in France since 1992, the law on the fight against waste and the circular economy (the AGEC law), in line with European Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, which requires the introduction, in all Member States, of an extended producer responsibility system for all packaging by 1 January 2025, has extended the principle of extended producer responsibility to packaging “used to market products consumed or used by professionals” that is not already covered by the household packaging EPR. This new EPR system was to be introduced in two stages:
• 1 January 2023, for packaging “consumed or used by professional caterers” for which the Citeo PRO eco-organisation was approved in March 2024;
• 1 January 2025 for other professional packaging.
Scope of application
The first few months of applying the principle of EPR to catering packaging have highlighted problems with the boundaries between the various packaging EPRs, particularly with other professional packaging. The draft decree therefore …
