French Supermarkets to Phase Out Plastic Packaging With Refill Stations

French grocery chains will have to begin switching to food refill stations as part of a new environmental bill. The law, which has been passed by the French parliament, will require retailers to phase out disposable plastic packaging and dedicate a fifth of their store to allow customers to buy dry food products using their own reusable containers.
MPs in France have voted in favour of new legislation that would force large supermarket chains in the country to make it easier for customers to bring and shop using reusable containers. The anti-plastic packaging bill, which is a part of a swathe of environmental and climate resilience measures being debated, will still need to be discussed and passed by the Senate next month before being implemented.
If passed, the legislation will require retailers with a storefront larger than 400 metres squared to dedicate 20% of their space to food refill stations by the end of the decade. It will apply to dry food products, such as pasta, cereals, beans, and rice. Smaller businesses and non-food shops such as off-licences and wine stores will not be subject to the new rules.
Barbara Pompili, the minister of ecological transition, said that the law is designed to “not put distribution networks into difficulty”, but instead to promote the phasing out of disposable packaging to combat the world’s mounting waste crisis. Recent studies suggest that the global plastic crisis is so severe that even with an 80% reduction in plastic use, the planet will be left to tackle over 710 million tonnes of plastic waste.