AGEC law: what’s new in 2024?

8th February 2024

Products concerned: all categories of products and packaging

Law No. 2020-105 of February 10, 2020 relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy was promulgated four years ago with new obligations appearing each year since. Let's look at what the new requirements are for 2024.

Obligation to communicate

The obligation to communicate on the environmental characteristics of products extends to companies with a turnover of 20 million euros and placing 10,000 units of the products concerned on the French market.

As a reminder, article 13 of the AGEC law requires producers to communicate on all products covered by an extended producer responsibility chain. The information obligation concerns:

• The repairability
• The rate of recycled material incorporated
• The recyclability
• The presence of rare earths and precious metals
• The supply chain traceability
• The presence of microplastics
• The presence of dangerous substances

Reusable packaging

For producers whose annual turnover is greater than 50 million euros (M€), the minimum proportion of reusable packaging to be placed on the market is at least 6%.

The timetable for the requirements for minimum proportions of re-usable and reusable packaging are specified in Decree No. 2022-507 of April 8, 2022 depending on the size of the company.

Biowaste

From January 1, 2024, it is obligatory for local authorities to implement source sorting of bio-waste for individuals, as part of the public waste management service. This requirement will be realized through the application, at the national level, of local management solutions and/or separate collection of bio-waste for individuals.

New for the EPR sectors

The French Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) sectors are experiencing significant expansion with the inclusion, since January 1, of catering packaging. This extension aims to strengthen the responsibility of producers in the management of waste generated by the food sector.
Additionally, the year 2024 will mark the addition of two new categories to this list, namely chewing gum and sanitary textiles, highlighting the continued commitment to a circular economy and sustainable waste management.

Finally, a major development is observed with the merger of two historic EPRs, the household packaging EPR and the graphic paper EPR, demonstrating a strategy aimed at simplifying and rationalizing the regulatory framework for better efficiency in waste management.

About the author

Anne-Sophie Quinquis
Chemical and environmental engineer
TÜV SÜD France

RELATED SERVICES:

Services loi AGEC
Chemical testing
Packaging testing

RELATED ARTICLES:

https://www.tuvsud.com/en-gb/press-and-media/2023/september/what-are-the-obligations-of-article-13-of-the-agec-law

https://www.tuvsud.com/fr-fr/presse-et-medias/2023/march/larticle-13-de-la-loi-agec

https://www.tuvsud.com/fr-fr/presse-et-medias/2023/august/la-loi-agec-et-les-reglementations-europeennes