France’s waste prevention and eco-design plan, also known as the Plan de Conception Écologique, is a strategic framework aimed at reducing the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle.
All distributors of goods in France must submit a plan for the respective waste streams.
The original submission deadline was 31/07/2023, but some systems have already adjusted this before the expiration.
The following submission deadlines apply to the respective systems:
- Ecomaison – September 15
- Refashion – September 15
- Léko – September 30
- Ecologic – September 30
- Citeo – Oktober
Legal background
The plan is based on Article 72 of the AGEC and Article L.541-10-12 of the Code of Enviroment. It obliges sellers to develop and implement a waste prevention and eco-design plan. In this term sellers includes any company that places products on the French market on a commercial basis, i.e. also French importers or online shops that sell from abroad to end customers in France. The aim is to reduce the use of non-renewable resources, increase the use of recycled materials and thus increase the recyclability of products.
About the waste prevention and eco-design plan
Key elements of the waste prevention and eco-design plan in France include:
Product standards
The plan sets strict environmental criteria that companies must meet in order to label their products as “environmentally friendly”. These standards relate to energy efficiency, resource consumption, recyclability and other environmental aspects.
Resource efficiency
In order to reduce material consumption, manufacturers are encouraged to introduce resource-efficient production processes. The aim is to minimise waste and optimise the use of limited resources such as water and raw materials.
Circular economy
The plan promotes the shift from a linear economy (production, use, disposal) to a circular economy in which products are reused, repaired and recycled.This is expected to reduce the amount of waste and reduce the use of primary resources.
Consumer awareness
The Eco Design Plan also includes a broad-based information campaign to educate consumers about the environmental impacts of products. The aim is to raise awareness of sustainable purchasing decisions and to strengthen the market for environmentally friendly products.
So specifically it is about
- Reducing the use of non-renewable resources
- Increasing the use of recycled materials and
- therefore increasing the recyclability of products.
Who is affected?
According to Article L.541-10-1, this affects all those who sell products on the French market. This means manufacturers, importers, online traders, sellers of products of their own brand but also sellers of online products.
What does this mean for online retailers?
Manufacturers and distributors of products in France need to prepare a plan that supports these goals. It hast to define appropriate measures and how they will be implemented over the next 5 years. It can be developed individually or together with other manufacturers. This plan will be reviewed and revised every five years.
It is important that a plan is prepared for each waste stream for which they are responsible, as the designs of different systems vary.
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Deadline and penalties
The deadline for creating or participating in such a 5 year plan ends on 31.07.2023.
Article L541-9-5 imposes penalties of up to €1,500 per unit or tonne of the product concerned (for natural persons) and €7,500 for legal persons. If necessary, an additional penalty of up to €20,000 per day will be imposed until the relevant prescribed measures are implemented.
Contact
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