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Plastic and flexible packaging meets the requirements of French and European environmental legislation.

 

In 1993, the trade set up structures to meet those demands.
The founding European Union text is the packaging and packaging waste directive [EC/94/62] of December 20th, 1994.

 

The directive was initially transposed into French law through 4 decrees:

• Decree 92-377 of April 1st, 1992 on household packaging.
• Decree 94-609 of July 13th, 1994 on industrial and commercial packaging.
• Decree 96-1008 of November 18th, 1996 on local household assimilated waste disposal plans.
• Decree 98-638 of July 20th, 1998 on factoring environmental demands into packaging design and manufacturing.

 

These 4 decrees were repealed in 2007 by decree 2007-1467 of October 12th, 2007.

However, the requirements under those texts still exist as this they were simply reclassified under the regulatory part of the environmental code (in French). For example, they include obligations with respect to the environmental compliance statement that packaging manufactures must draw up.

The environmental compliance statement, produced when marketing any new packaging, specifies how the manufacturer has taken into account and optimised the "essential requirements" for the design, use and end of life of the packaging (reduction at source, reuse, recovery method, etc.). Different standards exist and are set out in the statement template for attesting to compliance with these principles.

To download the environmental compliance statement template, click here.

 

Recycled materials in contact with food - this subject is handled in the "Recycle" section here.

 

REACH regulations form a unique system for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals. The aim is to improve protection of both human health and the environment. REACH is covered in a specific section > Find out more