Industrial lobbying blocks plastic waste regulations in France

Industrial lobbying is reportedly obstructing environmental regulations aimed at reducing plastic waste in France. According to a report by the NGO Zero Waste France, several legislative attempts to curb plastic use—including bans on packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables, the removal of plastic containers in school cafeterias, and a proposed single-use plastic tax—have been defeated.

Zero Waste France identifies intense lobbying efforts from sectors including packaging, food production, and petroleum extraction. Analysis of declarations to the Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique (HATVP) revealed 125 industrial actors involved in plastic packaging lobbying, with 34 companies dedicating more than half of their influence activities to this subject. These actors spent 24.3 million euros on lobbying in 2025.

The environmental and economic consequences are significant. France uses over 110 billion single-use packages annually, with less than a quarter being collected for recycling. Due to failure in meeting recycling obligations, the French state pays 1.5 billion euros in annual penalties to the European Union.