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France requires producers to implement sustainable eco-design
A new development in the French circular economy law (AGEC) requires all distributors in a total of 16 product categories to create a prevention and eco-design plan. Eco-design, also known as ecological design or sustainable design, is an approach to the design of products, services and processes in which environmental impacts are incorporated into the design process from the outset.
The development and implementation of the prevention and eco-design plan is the result of a provision of the AGEC law of February the 10th, 2020 and Decree No. 2020-1455 on the reform of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Article 72 of the AGEC law and Article L. 541-10-12 of the Environmental Code require manufacturers to draw up a five-year plan to reduce the use of non-renewable materials, maximise the integration of recycled materials and improve the recyclability of individual products.
Five-year plan for more recycling transparency
In France, EPR obligations apply to a total of 16 categories:
Packaging, batteries, waste electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, graphic papers, toys, furniture, sports and leisure items, DIY and gardening items, medical devices, lubricants, unused medicines, chemical products, construction products, tobacco and recreational craft.
Anyone who sells products in one or more of these categories in France must draw up a prevention plan. Different deadlines apply depending on the product group and system. Once the deadline has passed, the plans must be submitted to the relevant take-back systems and regularly updated. The prevention plans must be revised every five years. Every three years, each system publishes a summary of its members’ plans, which are made available to the public.
The systems support their members in drawing up initial prevention and ecodesign plans by providing a framework for the various product categories and specific templates.
Do you have any questions about these templates? Please feel free to contact us.
Eco-design saves resources
Prevention plans of this kind put visions from Eco-Design into practice. The aim of Eco-Design is to create products and services that are environmentally sustainable by conserving resources, minimising waste and pollutant emissions, and reducing environmental impacts throughout their life cycle. Eco-Design takes into account all phases of product design, including material selection, manufacturing processes, transport, use and disposal.
Eco-design not only offers environmental benefits, but can also provide economic advantages by reducing material and energy costs and improving brand image. Eco-design is therefore an important approach for companies that want to offer sustainable products and services.
RecycleMe offers the right services.
The RecycleMe experts will be happy to support you in creating your prevention plan. In a first step, we analyse the products in question that you, as a producer, must include in the prevention plan on the French market. Your contact person is very familiar with the EPR guidelines and the current changes to the French circular economy law (AGEC). In the final step, we also ensure that your finalised prevention plan is submitted correctly and on time to one of the systems.
