On 3 January 2022, as part of the implementation of the French AGEC (Anti-Waste and Circular Economy) law, the Ministry of Ecological Transition opened a public consultation on the “Draft order specifying the substances contained in mineral oils whose use is prohibited on packaging and for printing for the public”. It mainly targets substances that disrupt waste recycling or limit the use of recycled materials because of the risks they pose to human health.
The law n°2020-105 of 10 February 2020 on the fight against waste and the circular economy (known as the AGEC law) provided for a gradual ban on the use of mineral oils on packaging as well as on printing intended for the public.
Article 112 of the law specifies that these mineral oils will be banned from 1 January 2022 on packaging, from 1 January 2023 for advertising leaflet letters and unsolicited catalogues for commercial promotion, and from 1 January 2025 for all printing intended for the public.
Decree No.2020-1725 of 29 December 2020 specified in Articles D. 543-45-1 and D. 543-213 of the Environmental Code that this ban applies to mineral oils containing substances that disrupt waste recycling or limit the use of recycled materials due to the risks they pose to human health. It provides that these substances are defined by order of the Minister for the Environment.
This draft order defines the types of substances concerned by the prohibition principle, namely:
• Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) comprising 1 to 7 aromatic rings aromatic rings
• Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) with 16 to 35 carbon carbon atoms
It defines thresholds in mass concentration from 2023 onwards, …
