France study calls for donation to become a pillar of circular economy

A new study by the Institut National de l’Économie Circulaire (INEC), the Agence du Don en Nature (ADN), and Dons Solidaires suggests that donation should be established as a formal pillar of the circular economy. The research highlights that in France, nearly 2 billion euros worth of non-food unsold goods are generated annually, with approximately 850 million euros of that value potentially available for donation but currently remaining unutilized.

Since the implementation of the Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy (AGEC) law, the destruction of new unsold non-food products has been prohibited in France. However, the potential for donation remains under-exploited. Beyond the economic value, the study notes significant environmental implications, stating that destroying unsold goods can generate up to twenty times more carbon emissions than reusing them.

The findings present ten proposals to public authorities to better integrate donation into economic and environmental policies, aiming to simultaneously reduce resource waste and provide essential products to people in precarious situations.