Stay ahead of France's forthcoming anti-waste law

Food business operators (FBOs) seeking to market and sell food products in France are encouraged to stay informed about the evolving environmental labelling landscape. A new initiative, led by the French government and the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), aims to offer consumers insights into the environmental impact of goods and services, including food and beverages.

In 2020, France unveiled plans to introduce environmental labelling to educate consumers about the qualities and characteristics of waste-generating products, particularly food and textile products, under its 'anti-waste' law. The initiative began with a voluntary phase, enabling businesses to opt-in and begin labelling their products voluntarily.

Fast forward to July 2023, the Secrétariat Général à la Planification Écologique announced that environmental labelling would become mandatory for food and textile products by 2025. Environmental labelling should indicate the environmental cost of a product with a score displayed. Moreover, it seems that if the information provided by private schemes (such as Planet score, Yuka’s Eco-Score, Clear fashion, etc.) aligns with the regulatory methodology for calculating environmental costs, these private labels/logos could supplement the future regulatory score, providing additional insights on health, social and animal rearing conditions.

The exact specifications of the environmental logo and mandatory implementation methods are yet to be officially unveiled; the information was due to be released in Spring 2024, but is experiencing a delay.

Similarly, the voluntary implementation phase for most food products, excluding seafood, was anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2024. However, the logo has not yet been released. While this initial stage is voluntary, food business operators are encouraged to monitor the progress and deadlines closely. Doing so will ensure they are prepared for any mandatory changes that may affect their products.

The ADEME has launched a dedicated website to keep stakeholders updated on the latest developments in the labelling scheme – www.affichage-environnemental.ademe.fr

To learn more about how to comply with specific labelling requirements in France and/or labelling requirements in other EU Member States, please get in touch at [email protected]. Leatherhead’s experienced team of scientists and regulatory experts, including former regulators and industry advocates, can support you every step of the way.