September 9, 2025 16:20
A recent decree issued by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition (full version HERE) introduces, as of Jan. 1, 2026, a system of incentives for national producers incorporating post-consumer recycled plastics into their products within supply chains subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
The 'ministerial arrêté', published on Sept. 7, 2025, in the Journal Officiel, sets out three contribution thresholds: €450 per ton for recycled plastics sourced from another EPR sector, €550 per ton when sourced from the same EPR sector, and up to €1,000 per ton for “hard-to-recycle” resins incorporated into food-grade or contact-sensitive packaging. This latter incentive will be reduced to €550 per ton during the first two years of implementation (2026–27) to allow industries to adapt gradually.
Excluded from the scheme are products manufactured from composite materials or containing substances that hinder recyclability—such as certain additives, pigments or coatings—as well as packaging containing recycled PVC or derived from recycling processes with yields below 50%.
To be eligible for the incentives, the entire recycling chain—from collection to the reintegration of the material—must operate within a 1,500-kilometer radius of mainland France’s geographical center, within the European Union, or in third countries with environmental standards equivalent to those of the EU. The goal is to prevent long-distance transport from offsetting the environmental benefits of the initiative.
Producers will be required to provide detailed documentation on the quantity and type of recycled plastics used in their processes, certifying their post-consumer origin, resin type and compliance with decree obligations. EPR scheme organizations will be responsible for monitoring compliance, including through independent third-party audits.
In addition, minimum recycled content rates are mandated for beverage bottles and containers: 25% PET content until 2029, rising to 30% from 2030; and 30% HDPE content starting Jan. 1, 2030.
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