France Bans Plastic Cups, Cutlery

France has reportedly passed a ban on plastic cups, knives, forks and plates as part of an ecological initiative, Energy Transition for Green Growth. The prohibition, which takes effect in 2020, targets the nearly 5 billion plastic cups discarded annually in France. The country is reportedly the first to target plastic dishware.

A Brussels-based organization representing European packaging manufacturers, Pack2Go Europe, has reportedly vowed to fight the ban to prevent similar measures from passing in other European countries. “We are urging the European Commission to do the right thing and to take legal action against France for infringing European law,” Pack2Go Europe Secretary General Eamonn Bates told The Associated Press. “If they don’t, we will.” See Associated Press, September 12, 2016; The Local, September 13, 2016.

Issue 617