Close×

France has become the first country to ban all plastic cups, plates and cutlery in a law that will take full effect in 2020.

The measure was passed last month, but businesses have until 2020 to fully comply, according to the Associated Press.

All disposable dishes in France will instead have to be made from biologically sourced materials and the products must be able to be composted.

BioPak founder and director Richard Fine told PKN Packaging News the news was "fantastic".

"The rest of the world should start adopting the same measures," he said.

bck_10_gl_detail1

"There's no reason we have to use plastic single-use items.

"Their environmental cost is mounting up and now that we have more bioplastics players coming on board consumers can make choices that will not pollute the environment."

Biopak offsets all the carbon emissions associated with the production, transport and disposal of its sustainable, plant-based packaging.

France banned plastic bags in July, a move other countries have also made, but France is the first to extend these types of bans to plastic cutlery and dishes.

France has been a leader on climate change and hosted the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015.

The country's newest ban has attracted criticism from packaging industry lobbyists, who say that the ban violates European Union rules on the free movement of goods, the AP says.

Food & Drink Business

Snacking and pet food company, Mars Incorporated, is set to open a new $112.5 million wet pouch facility at its Wodonga pet food factory this June, initially announced in June 2023.

The a2 Milk Company has initiated a voluntary recall of three batches of its US-label a2 Platinum infant formula after cereulide was detected in the product. The recall covers approximately 16,428 tins already sold to consumers, with no reported incidents of infant illness.

Inghams Group Limited has appointed Grant Douglas as the company’s new chief financial officer, taking effect from October 2026. He takes over the role from Gary Mallett, who is stepping down on 30 September, after seven years with the company.