France's Plan to Reduce Plastic Packaging Causing Concern Among Trade Partners, USDA Says
EU trading partners are “deeply concerned” about France’s implementation of decrees to reduce single-use plastic package waste by 2025, which have included only “limited” consultation with traders and lack sufficient details, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Jan. 26 report. The agency said “many details regarding practical implementation” of the French goal to eliminate plastic waste “have yet to be announced,” and traders are struggling to understand the impacts. “Non-EU trading partners are deeply concerned that the lack of detail and the absence of consultations could be very disruptive to trade,” USDA said. “The decrees set a clear timeline for specific objectives, but they lack important details on implementation and enforcement mechanisms.”
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While the restrictions will affect all sectors, USDA expects the impact on agricultural goods to be “profound.” The French government will specifically look to prohibit plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables, the agency said, and sets timelines for specific products. Fresh cranberries, for example, can be marketed with plastic packaging only until Dec. 31, 2024, but other berries can use plastic packaging until June 30, 2026. “There is still no clear understanding why some products are on an accelerated schedule, while others are not,” USDA said.