The French government has issued a decree introducing new bonus regulations for manufacturers who use recycled plastics in products - explicitly including packaging and chemical containers. The bonuses will apply from 1 January 2026 and will be paid out via the respective REP systems (extended producer responsibility).
With this decision, the Ministry of the Environment wants to accelerate the market penetration of recyclates and at the same time set clear guidelines: Products from several REP fields (including packaging, furniture, toys, sport/DIY) are eligible, provided that defined quality, process and verification requirements are met. Premium amounts, exclusions, minimum quotas for bottles and a strict principle of regionality and traceability are binding.
What applies to packaging?
The core is a tonne-based premium per quantity of recyclate actually used in the product - differentiated according to the origin of the recyclates: 450 €/t for material from other REP streams, 550 €/t for material from the same REP stream. For „contact-sensitive“ applications (food/body contact, etc.), an increased premium of €1,000/t is envisaged; for the years 2026 and 2027, this will be set at €550/t on a transitional basis. (Art. 3 and 6)
Which plastics are favoured?
For contact-sensitive packaging, the decree names specific polymers whose recyclates are eligible for premiums: PET (clear, coloured, opaque; in the case of clear from non-beverage bottles), PS (without EPS), PP, PE-HD and PE-LD. (Art. 6 I)
Exclusions and minimum quotas
Products with recyclates in composite matrices (e.g. fibre-reinforced plastics), products with substances identified by the eco-system as „recycling interferers“ and packaging/chemical containers with recycled PVC are excluded. In addition, there is a lower limit for the mass yield of the recycling process of ≥ 50 %. (Art. 4)
For beverage bottles (without caps), the regulation specifies minimum recyclate contents: PET 25 % until 31 December 2029, thereafter 30 %; PE-HD 0 % until 2029, from 2030 30 %. Only quantities above the respective minimum quota are eligible for premiums. (Art. 5 III)
Regionality principle and proof
Premiums are only available if collection, sorting, recycling and the use of recyclates are carried out cumulatively within a 1,500 km radius of the barycentric point of metropolitan France and take place in the EU (or under equivalent environmental conditions). For overseas territories, local barycentres apply. Eco-organisations must establish robust chain-of-custody models and auditable evidence (resin content, process yield, proximity, post-consumer origin, no impurities). (Art. 8-9)
Source: Ministère de la Transition écologique, de la Biodiversité, de la Forêt, de la Mer et de la Pêche
