FRANCE has banned the use of plastic to package a range of fruit and vegetables today.

Environmentalists have long campaigned against single-use plastics as pollution worsens worldwide, and President Emmanuel Macron has backed the move defending a “pragmatic” approach.

The October decree covers the sale of less than 1.5kg of apples, for example.

However, the full legislation will not be applied until 2026, allowing firms to adapt, including on the sale of red fruits considered fragile.

Six months has also been granted to use up existing plastic packaging stocks.

“We were never consulted,” said Interfel president Laurent Grandin.

He said the costs are “insurmountable” for small companies that will have to keep using plastic to protect exports, notably to Britain, a major client for apples.

Pomanjou produces up to 40,000 tonnes of apples annually in the Loire valley and has introduced 100% cardboard packing in the last three years.

However, as a result, packing costs have soared 20% to 30%, said company representative Arnaud de Puineuf.

Big supermarket group Casino said it will now sell tomatoes in cardboard packaging and provide customers with paper or cellulose bags.

Packaging companies said the October 8 decree had caught them by surprise, particularly the ban on recycled plastics.

“We have client firms… who will have to stop their fruit and vegetable packing activity, though they have been working on alternatives, using less plastic or recycled plastic for several years,” said the Elipso association that represents manufacturers.

‘Market distortion’

Elipso and Polyvia, a union covering 3,500 firms making packaging, have appealed to the State Council, which has jurisdiction over administrative disputes, against what they said is a distortion of European markets as the ban applies solely to France.

But Armand Chaigne, director of industrial markets at packaging firm DS Smith, sees the benefits, notably for cardboard manufacturers.

“In Europe, it is estimated that out of the eight million tonnes of plastic produced per year for single-use packaging, 1.5 million tonnes can already be removed.

“That represents about 70 billion units of single-use plastic packaging” or “about seven billion euros (RM33 billion) of additional turnover potential for cardboard”. – AFP, January 1, 2022.