Joint Op-Ed in L’Opinion — Economy Section · February 28, 2024 · Op-ed signed by a group of prominent figures, NGOs, and companies
Published in L’Opinion, this joint op-ed brings together public figures, NGOs, and companies to offer a critical assessment of the AGEC law, four years after its adoption. The group, which includes Thibault Lamarque, founder and president of Castalie, notes that France is falling short of its goals and calls for strong measures, starting with a ban on small-sized bottles. This call to action places the reduction of single-use plastic at the center of the public debate.
Key takeaways
- Four years after the AGEC Act was passed, a group of prominent figures, NGOs, and companies published an op-ed in L’Opinion calling for the law’s objectives to finally be implemented.
- The volume of plastic bottles placed on the market increased by 4% in 2022, even though a 15% annual decrease would be necessary to meet the goal of halving that volume by 2030.
- With nearly 16 billion bottles used each year, France is the world’s fifth-largest consumer of bottled water in plastic bottles.
- The coalition is urging the government to convene an emergency meeting of stakeholders and to ban small-sized bottles (less than 500 ml), which are considered particularly wasteful in terms of both plastic and carbon emissions.
- The op-ed puts forward a strong argument: the primary issue is not recycling but halting production, comparing plastic bottles to asbestos, tobacco, and diesel. Signatories include Thibault Lamarque (Castalie), actress Lucie Lucas, sailor François Gabart, former minister Brune Poirson, Claire Nouvian (Bloom), hydrologist Emma Haziza, and numerous environmental NGOs.
Source: L’Opinion, Business section, February 28, 2024 — group op-ed. Read the original op-ed
