FR: Decree published banning single-use plastic bags

On March 31, Decree No. 2016-379 was published in the French Journal Officiel, prohibiting the use of traditional single-use plastic bags less than 50 microns thick, effective July 1, 2016. The decree is France’s response to Directive (EU) 2015/720 that requires EU Member States to reduce single-use plastic bag consumption.
Bio-based plastic bags will be distributed beginning no later than January 1, 2017. They must be home compostable and contain a minimum percentage of plant-derived material that will increase over time. While the decree does not specify the composting standard that needs to be met it is assumed to be NFT-51-800 (Recycling Laws International, 5 April 2016).
Click here for the French decree (in French).
Click here for a question and answer document about the new law (41 kB, in French).
With NVC MERGE (Members-only Environmental Regulations Guide) you can stay up-to-date with the environmental requirements for your packaging. MERGE is exclusively for NVC members and there are no costs involved.
Click here for more information about the NVC Inspiration meeting on the effectiveness of the Dutch policy on packaging and the environment (7 September 2016).

If you have any questions about this subject, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411. This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update.