In an article published on December 11, 2019, news provider EurActiv informed that France’s National Assembly has voted to approve a ban on all single-use plastics within the country starting in 2040. The amendment is described as pertaining to “all food packaging, vials, bottles, which can be found everywhere in our closets for domestic and industrial use” according to its author, Member of Parliament Laurence Maillart-Méhaignerie.
However, the twenty-year timeline for the ban is receiving sharp criticism from environmental groups who see it as far too much time. Non-governmental organization WWF France commented that “we cannot wait until 2040 to ban disposable bags, small bottles or plastics in public administrations and at events! WWF France is asking the government and MPs to take concrete and immediate action.” Comparisons are also being drawn to the adoption of an EU-wide ban on a range of single-use plastics set to come into force in 2021 (FPF reported). With products responsible for 70% of marine litter reported to be included in the EU-wide ban within just two years, stakeholders are questioning why so much additional time is needed to address the remaining single-use plastic items.
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Cécile Barbiere (December 11, 2019). “Banning single-use plastics in France by 2040 is far too late, environmentalists say.”
