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Packaging rule · France · Ban

France AGEC: bans on disposable straws, cutlery and other single-use items

Ban covering single-use plastic in France, set by Parliament of France. Applies since 1 January 2021.

By the SPI teamRule ID PR-FR-002Source consulted 13 October 2026Verified 13 October 2026
Sourced facts

The rule

Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.

Jurisdiction
France
Authority
Parliament of France
Rule type
Ban
Materials
Single-use plastic
Status
In force Enacted
Adopted or published
10 February 2020
Applies from
1 January 2021
From the source

“Au 1er janvier, interdiction des pailles, couverts jetables, touillettes, couvercles des gobelets à emporter,”

Official source French Ministry of Ecological Transition: lutte contre la pollution plastiqueOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026

Deadlines

Key dates

  1. Adopted or published 6 years ago

  2. Applies from 5 years ago

  3. Source consulted by the SPI team 2 days ago

  4. Re-checked by a second SPI team member 2 days ago

SPI analysis

What it means

SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.

SPI summary

Under the AGEC law, disposable straws, cutlery, stirrers and takeaway cup lids were banned from 1 January 2021, followed by further bans in 2022 and 2023, including disposable tableware for dine-in fast food.

In practice

France banned a series of single-use plastic items in stages: straws, disposable cutlery, stirrers, takeaway cup lids, expanded polystyrene food boxes and other items from 1 January 2021; plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables under 1.5 kg and plastic tea bags from 1 January 2022; and disposable tableware for dine-in fast food from 1 January 2023. Plastic content in cups was limited to 15% from 2022, 8% from 2024 and traces only from 1 January 2026. Food-service packaging suppliers, fresh-produce packers and quick-service restaurants are the most affected, and PPWR Annex V restrictions from 2030 now sit over these national bans.

Where the record is unclear

  • The ministry page lists several bans without dates (for example sets of disposable plastic tableware and non-recyclable styrene polymer packaging).
  • How French bans will be maintained or adjusted once PPWR Annex V applies from 2030 is not stated on the page.
  • SPI has not yet confirmed the legal articles behind each ban against the Légifrance texts.

Where it sits in the tracker

  • One of 3 packaging rules we track in France, of which 1 are ban rules.
  • In all, 17 ban rules are tracked across 11 jurisdictions. Compare them below

Company profiles that map to this rule

Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.

SPI analysis

Overview

The bans sit mainly in article L. 541-15-10 of the Code de l'environnement, as amended by Law n° 2020-105 of 10 February 2020, with product definitions in article D. 541-3301. They build on article 73 of the energy transition law of 17 August 2015, which ended single-use plastic carrier bags at points of sale in 2016 and 2017, a measure the ministry links to about five billion checkout bags a year beforehand1.

The French list runs wider and earlier than the EU single-use plastics list. Beyond cutlery, straws, stirrers and polystyrene food boxes, it covers free bottles in workplaces and public venues, plastic toys given with children's meals, glued non-compostable fruit labels, plastic tea bags and plastic wrapping for posted press and advertising1. From 2025 the scope reached packaging design itself, removing non-recyclable packaging made of styrenic polymers or copolymers14. In SPI analysis, most bans bite on the business that sells or uses the item, which puts the compliance work on retail, catering and brand owners.

Duties

Who must do what

Retailers and points of sale

  • Stop selling or making available the items listed in L. 541-15-10 from their dated start, including straws (except medical use), stirrers, drink lids and caps, steak picks, confetti, glitter and balloon sticks1.
  • Sell whole fresh fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging from 1 January 2022, subject to exemptions2.
  • Stop sticking non-biodegradable, non-compostable labels directly on fruit and vegetables from 20221.

Restaurants and collective catering

  • Serve meals eaten on site with reusable tableware from 1 January 2023 where at least 20 covers can be served at once1.
  • Stop giving free plastic toys with children's meals from 20221.
  • Offer takeaway customers of collective catering a reusable container or one made of recyclable material1.
  • Remove plastic cooking, reheating and serving containers in health services, school and university catering and facilities for under-sixes from 2025, or by 1 January 2028 at the latest in communes under 2,000 inhabitants (Décret n° 2025-80)1.

Brand owners and packers

  • Withdraw non-recyclable styrenic polymer packaging from 20251.
  • Keep plastic content of cups within 15% from 2022, 8% from 2024 and traces only from 1 January 20262.
Scope

Are you in scope?

Work through each question. The answers are the SPI team's reading of the sources cited.

  1. Is the item on the L. 541-15-10 list and sold or given away in France?

    If yes
    The ban applies from the date set for that item1.
    If no
    Check PPWR format restrictions instead1.

  2. Is the straw for medical use?

    If yes
    Exempt1.
    If no
    Banned since the 2020 and 2021 phase-out1.

  3. Is the free bottle needed for public health?

    If yes
    Exempt1.
    If no
    Banned in public venues, workplaces and events1.

  4. Does your restaurant serve at least 20 covers at once?

    If yes
    Reusable tableware is required for eating in1.
    If no
    The 2023 dine-in rule does not apply1.

  5. Is the produce sold in lots of 1.5 kg or more?

    If yes
    The ministry lists this among the exemptions from the fruit and vegetable rule2.
    If no
    Plastic packaging is barred unless another exemption applies2.

  6. Is the cup partly plastic?

    If yes
    Since 1 January 2026 only traces of plastic are allowed2.
    If no
    The cup limit does not apply2.
Checklist

Compliance checklist

  1. Map each French SKU to its ban date

    By Now

    SPI analysis of the official text. Not legal advice; confirm with the text or counsel. Use the dated list in L. 541-15-10 and the definitions in D. 541-3301.

    Evidence to keep SKU register with item, ban date and status.

  2. Confirm cup specifications

    By Now

    From 1 January 2026 partly plastic cups may contain only traces2.

    Evidence to keep Supplier composition certificates.

  3. Re-check fruit and vegetable exemptions

    By Now

    AIDA lists Décret n° 2023-478, which set the exempt produce list, as abrogated following a Conseil d'État decision of 8 November 20243.

    Evidence to keep Legal review of current exemption basis per product.

  4. Switch dine-in service to reusables

    By 1 January 2023

    Applies to fast food, workplace and school canteens and museum cafés with 20 or more covers1.

    Evidence to keep Inventory of reusable tableware per site.

  5. Replace plastic food containers in care and school catering

    By 1 January 2028

    Small communes have until 1 January 2028; others were due from 2025 under Décret n° 2025-80 of 28 January 20251.

    Evidence to keep Site list with container type and changeover date.

  6. Audit styrenic packaging

    By Now

    Non-recyclable styrenic polymer or copolymer packaging was due for removal in 20251.

    Evidence to keep Recyclability evidence for remaining styrenic packs.

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

Who enforces
Not named in the official guidance; SPI has not yet confirmed the enforcing body
Powers
The official guidance states the bans but not the inspecting body; SPI has not yet confirmed the powers that apply12.
Enforcement so far
AIDA records the Conseil d'État decision n° 475669-488759 of 8 November 2024, published in the Journal officiel of 14 November 2024, ending Décret n° 2023-4783.

Neither the economie.gouv.fr guidance of 17 December 2025 nor the ministry page gives fine amounts or the legal basis for sanctions12. SPI has not yet confirmed the penalty provisions attached to L. 541-15-10 against the official text. The one recorded legal event found is judicial: the Conseil d'État decision of 8 November 2024 on the fruit and vegetable decree3.

Connections

How it fits with other rules

Timeline

History of the rule

  1. Energy transition law, article 73, ends single-use plastic carrier bags1.

  2. Still water in plastic bottles banned in public collective catering2.

  3. AGEC law extends the L. 541-15-10 list1.

  4. Straws, cutlery, stirrers, cup lids, polystyrene boxes, confetti and oxo-degradable items banned2.

  5. Fruit and vegetable packaging, tea bags, free toys and press wrapping bans; cup plastic capped at 15%12.

  6. Reusable tableware required for dine-in meals1.

  7. Décret n° 2023-478 sets the exempt produce list, in force 1 July 20233.

  8. Conseil d'État decision ends Décret n° 2023-4783.

  9. Décret n° 2025-80 defines the food containers banned in care and school catering1.

  10. Partly plastic cups limited to traces2.

  11. Today

  12. Last date for communes under 2,000 inhabitants to remove plastic catering containers1.

Questions

Questions

Which plastic items has France banned since 2021?

From 1 January 2021 France banned plastic straws, disposable cutlery, stirrers, takeaway cup lids, expanded polystyrene food boxes, steak picks, balloon sticks, confetti and oxo-degradable items2. More bans followed in 2022, 2023 and 20251.

How much plastic may a cup contain in 2026?

Since 1 January 2026 partly plastic cups may contain only traces of plastic2. The limit was 15% from 2022 and 8% from 2024.

Is the fruit and vegetable exemption list still valid?

Décret n° 2023-478 of 20 June 2023 set the list, but AIDA records it as ended by a Conseil d'État decision of 8 November 20243. The ministry page, last updated 17 July 2024, still cites it, so the current basis needs checking2.

Which restaurants must use reusable tableware?

Since 1 January 2023, establishments able to serve at least 20 covers at once must use reusable tableware for meals eaten on site1. Examples given are fast food outlets, canteens and museum cafés.

What changed for school catering in 2025?

From 2025 plastic containers for cooking, reheating and serving were banned in school and university catering, certain health services and facilities for children under six1. Communes under 2,000 inhabitants have until 1 January 2028, and Décret n° 2025-80 of 28 January 2025 sets the details.

Glossary

Definitions

Matière plastique
The material defined in article D. 541-330 of the Code de l'environnement, used across the bans and in Décret n° 2023-47813.3
Conditionnement (fruit and vegetables)
A container, outer wrapping or fastening device covering the produce wholly or partly; elastic bands bundling small produce are excluded (Décret n° 2023-478, article 2)3.3
Sources

Sources for this analysis

  1. economie.gouv.fr: Entreprises, quels produits en plastique à usage unique vous sont interdits ? (17 December 2025) Regulator · Consulted 14 October 2026
  2. French Ministry of Ecological Transition: lutte contre la pollution plastique (updated 17 July 2024) Regulator · Consulted 14 October 2026
  3. AIDA (INERIS): Décret n° 2023-478 du 20 juin 2023 relatif à l'obligation de présentation à la vente des fruits et légumes frais non transformés sans conditionnement composé pour tout ou partie de matière plastique Official · Consulted 14 October 2026
  4. Ministry of Ecological Transition: Stratégie 3R pour les emballages en plastique à usage unique, annexes (March 2022) Regulator · Consulted 14 October 2026
  5. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) Consulted 13 October 2026

Written by the SPI team on 14 October 2026. Sources checked as of 14 October 2026. SPI analysis, not legal advice; always rely on the official text.

Audit trail

Change history

Verified: a second SPI team member re-checked every fact above against the source on 13 October 2026. Any later change to the facts sends the rule back to Sourced and is logged here.

  1. Verified by a second SPI team member

  2. Added to the tracker

Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-FR-002 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.

Other jurisdictions

Ban rules elsewhere

The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.

RuleWhereTypeMaterialsStatusApplies from
SUP Directive: ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, straws and EPS containersPR-EU-014European UnionBanSingle-use plasticIn force3 July 2021
Ban on identified single-use plastic itemsPR-IN-004IndiaBanPlastic, Single-use plasticIn force1 July 2022
Plastic phase-outs (stages 1 and 2)PR-NZ-001New ZealandBanPlastic, Single-use plasticIn force1 October 2022
Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SOR/2022-138)PR-CA-001CanadaBanSingle-use plasticIn force20 December 2022
England ban on single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene food containersPR-GB-006England, United KingdomBanSingle-use plasticIn force1 October 2023
Wales Single-use Plastic Products Act 2023PR-GB-007Wales, United KingdomBanSingle-use plasticIn force30 October 2023
Gradual ban on single-use plastic products (Law 2232 of 2022)PR-CO-002ColombiaBanPlastic, Single-use plasticIn force7 July 2024
B.C. Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention RegulationPR-CA-005British Columbia, CanadaBanSingle-use plasticIn force15 July 2024
Dubai single-use products regulation, final phasePR-AE-001Dubai, United Arab EmiratesBanPlastic, Single-use plasticIn force1 January 2026
PPWR: restrictions on certain single-use packaging formatsPR-EU-008European UnionBanSingle-use plasticAdopted, not yet applying1 January 2030

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