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

The Queensland government is searching for the state’s top exporters, with applications now open for the 2026 Premier of Queensland Export Awards. Winners will represent the state at the Australian Export Awards in November.

With finalists for the 2026 Hive Awards announced this week, Food & Drink Business is looking back at some of the companies recognised over the past two years – and what they have done since.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has completed the Australian leg of the 2026 Australia-China Winemaker Immersion Program, an intensive three-week exchange program across South Australia’s wine regions including McLaren Vale, the Barossa Valley, and the Adelaide Hills.