France will not ban the placing on the market of styrenic polymers or copolymers from Jan. 1, 2025, as originally planned. The government has adjusted legislation to ensure the styrene packaging is not covered by the ban as long as it meets recyclability criteria set out in the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
In 2021, France adopted its Climate and Resilience Act. Part VI of Article 23 of said act says that “From 1 January 2025, packaging consisting wholly or partly of styrenic polymers or copolymers that cannot be integrated into a recycling chain will be banned.” The ban applies to loose-fill packaging materials (foam peanuts), packaging used for food (such as egg trays), packaging components used to absorb shock and impact during transport, amongst many others.
Now, the government published a notice on the government gazette of the French republic, clarifying that Article 23 does not apply to styrene packaging that meets recyclability performance classes A, B, or C of the PPWR.
The PPWR requires all packaging to be recyclable (with very limited exceptions). These three recyclability performance grades and thresholds are designed to gradually increase pressure on producers to comply with design for recycling. When packaging is below the grade C it should be considered technically non-recyclable, and the PPWR prohibits its placing on the market.
The European Comissions plans to publish its design for recycling criteria by Jan. 1, 2028, before the PPWR deadline for meeting them kicks in on Jan. 1, 2030. Producers of styrene packaging in France will thus have a much longer period to adapt their products for recycling.
Elipso, the French plastic packaging trade association, said the government’s decision brings ‘relief’ to the sector.
“We welcome this measure, which reflects a pragmatic consideration of industrial realities,” Gaël Bouquet, managing director at Elipso, said in a statement. “Companies can now look to the future with greater peace of mind, in the knowledge that packaging that meets certain recyclability standards will be able to remain on the market pending clear, uniform criteria at European level,” he added.
Over the past few years, the status of polystyrene has gradually been shifting from its reputation as an unrecyclable pollutant, to gaining recognition as an ‘infinitely’ recyclable, valuable resource that is ‘made for recycling’. Industry associations point out that polystrene is a promising material for mechanical recycling since its properties are largely stable even after multiple processing. The material is also excellently suited for dissolution, an environmentally friendly, low CO2-emitting process, and for depolymerisation, due to its low ‘ceiling temperature’ of approximately 350 C, beyond which polystyrene can be returned into its monomer styrene.
“Today's opinion represents a turning point, but our work does not stop there,” Bouquet said. “We are fully committed to meeting Europe's environmental objectives and implementing the best solutions for an efficient and effective circular economy,” he concluded.