In France, from January 1, it is officially prohibited to use plastic packaging for a number of fruits and vegetables. The firms will have six months to use up its reserves. The law will fully come into effect in 2026. During this time, the sector must adapt, in particular, to the new conditions for the transportation of fragile products.
According to the head of the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers Interfel, costs are inevitable for small companies, and they will still have to pack goods for export in plastic.
Pomanjou, which produces up to 40 thousand tons of apples annually, completely switched to carton packaging in three years. After the transition, the cost of packaging for her has increased by 20-30%. The management of the supermarket chain Casino has announced the transition to carton packaging for tomatoes and providing customers in their stores with bags made of paper or cellulose.
The Elipso & Polyvia association, which includes 3,500 packaging manufacturers, lodged a protest with the French State Council, explaining its position by the fact that the measures taken put the country in an extremely disadvantageous position, distorting the principles of the European market system.
Armand Cheyne, director of markets for British packaging company DS Smith , believes that the French government's legislation has undeniable advantages, and cardboard producers will definitely benefit. He noted that the production of disposable packaging material in Europe annually takes 8 million tons of plastic. The French ban will reduce this amount by 1.5 million tonnes, the equivalent of 70 billion plastic bags. And the potential turnover of cardboard should grow by 7 billion euros.