France has taken the lead in enacting new laws as part of its circular economy law, aiming to reduce the amount of waste in landfills by 30% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to new regulations passed by the French government last week, clothing brands and retailers are strictly prohibited from destroying unsold and returned goods.
The law also covers electrical appliances, hygiene products and cosmetics that must be “reused”, “redistributed” or “recycled” “(recycled) and other measures. The bill contains 130 articles and was passed by the Senate and the National Assembly on January 21, 2020.
The bill contains 130 articles and was passed by the Senate and the National Assembly on January 21, 2020.
The new law proposed in June 2019 forms part of France’s circular economy law. The purpose of formulating the new law is to reduce resource consumption by 30% based on the proportion of GDP output between 2010 and 2030; before 2025, non-toxic waste must be reduced by 50%. Compared with 2010, in By 2025, move towards the goal of 100% plastic recycling and reuse; reduce greenhouse gas emissions: through plastic recycling measures, 8 million tons of additional carbon dioxide emissions can be avoided every year; create up to 300,000 additional job opportunities, including new occupations.
Quoting a report from the office of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, France destroys or discards new consumer goods worth more than 650 million euros (equivalent to US$719.2 million) every year.
Currently, according to French law, grocers and retailers are prohibited from destroying unsold goods and must donate the goods to charity.
The French government has previously issued a statement stating that France is the first country in the world to adopt legal regulations for discarding unsold goods.
