The French Plastic
Pact Case
ConsultantSeas, 2021
Organisation of the technical consultation between the signatories of the French National Pact on plastic packaging.
The 16 historic signatories of the Pact
Gathering and coordinating multi-stakeholder partnership
Providing technical expertise
Paris, France
5 months
ConsultantSeas carried out the technical consultation between the signatories
of the National Pact on Plastic Packaging published on February 21, 2019.
Context
If plastic packaging today represents ⅓ of the plastic produced, it counts for 60% of the plastic found in the environment and particularly in the ocean. In 2019, in light of this observation, companies and NGOs joined forces with the Ministry of Ecological Transition in order to collectively rethink plastic usage. It is the birth of the “National Pact on Plastic Packaging”. The 16 historic signatories of the pact are Carrefour, Groupe Casino, Auchan Retail, Enseigne Coopérative U, Danone, Nestlé, L’Oréal, Unilever, Biscuits Bouvard, Coca Cola, Monoprix, Franprix, LSDH, MTE, WWF, Tara Océan Foundation.
Achievements
For the preparation and launch of the Pact
- Analysis of the national context
- Creation of a core group of committed national stakeholders (companies, civil society, State and administrations)
- Co-construction of a shared vision by the actors
- Technical support to set common, ambitious and quantified objectives
- Consultations with stakeholders and drafting of the text
- Assessment of funding and governance needs
- Support for the official announcement and communication calendar
Follow-up of the mission
ConsultantSeas remains the Founding Partner of the Pact, and may be mandated by the signatories of the Pact and/or by its coordinator to provide plastic expertise in support of some of the Pact’s work.
“The pact signed today is a major step in the fight against plastic pollution. This convergence of observations, discourse and actions is unprecedented in France and unique in Europe. We are disrupting practices and changing models, and this is the purpose of our action in favour of the circular economy. All stakeholders understand that it is more than ever time for them to really invest in the issue, otherwise we will move from incentives to sanctions.”
Brune Poirson, then Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition
Impacts
- A major step in France and an example for Europe in the transition towards a circular economy
- Integration into the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastic Pacts Network, promoting the exchange of good practices and building on successes
- A committed and ambitious text, resulting from a constructive dialogue between the different stakeholders
- Ambitious yet realistic targets, including “collectively achieving 60% of plastic packaging effectively recycled by 2022”.
- Innovative solutions deployed starting in 2019