On 1 July, France’s EPR legislation on extended producer responsibility for packaging entered into force. This legislation has implications for exporters of flowers and plants, making ornamentals traders responsible for the waste from the product packaging they place on the French market. According to the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, this means that producers will have to declare which packaging they place on the market and pay for its waste management.
France’s extended producer responsibility rules for packaging (EPR) stem from the French AGEC Act, which aims to combat waste and promote a circular economy. This legislation requires all companies, including those outside the ornamentals sector, that market products to assume responsibility for the entire life cycle and end-of-life stage of their packaging. It is based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle and includes the collection, sorting, recycling and reuse of materials.
As a result of the legislation, producers, importers and wholesalers must comply, as of 1 July, with obligations relating to packaging and logistics equipment they place on the French market, including Danish trolleys, pots and crates.
