France’s recycling model inspires global plastic waste reforms

France’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme is gaining renewed global attention as governments seek sustainable ways to reduce plastic pollution.

Launched over three decades ago, the system shifts the environmental burden of packaging waste from taxpayers to producers, requiring manufacturers to fund and manage the entire lifecycle of packaging.

With World Environment Day on 5 June highlighting the challenge of plastic waste, many countries are evaluating EPR as a potential solution.

Under France’s model, companies that produce or sell packaged products must contribute financially to the collection, sorting, recycling, and reduction of packaging waste.

These payments are managed by producer responsibility organisations (PROs) such as Citeo, which oversees both packaging and graphic paper. In 2023, this amounted to €1.6 billion, funding recycling infrastructure, eco-design initiatives, and public awareness campaigns.

Jean Hornain, CEO of Citeo, described the goal as building a circular economy, in which packaging materials are used more efficiently, reused when possible, and recycled after use.

He acknowledged that while EPR does lead to small cost increases—roughly one or two euro cents per item—the long-term environmental and economic savings outweigh these costs.

Unlike tax-based schemes, France’s EPR programme has remained politically resilient due to its collaborative structure. Fees paid by companies are reinvested directly into local recycling systems rather than diverted into general government revenue.

This approach fosters shared responsibility among businesses, municipalities, and citizens, helping to depoliticise the issue and create a stable funding mechanism for waste management.

Hornain said that although the system is not without inefficiencies, its core principle—that producers must bear responsibility for the environmental impact of their packaging—has never been seriously contested.

Broad political and public consensus has helped cement the programme’s longevity and credibility.

As plastic pollution intensifies worldwide, EPR is increasingly seen as a practical policy tool. Countries participating in the upcoming round of UN-led negotiations in Geneva in August are expected to consider it as part of a global plastics treaty.

Hornain highlighted key factors for a successful EPR system: mandatory compliance, robust oversight to ensure all companies participate, engagement from all stakeholders, and support for informal waste pickers.