From July 1st 2011, a national initiative will be carried out in
France for a minimum of one year, to inform consumers of the
environmental impacts of mass products through environmental
labelling. This initiative will be subject to an assessment and
extended by parliament if appropriate. It will involve displaying
the carbon footprint, and other relevant environmental indicators
of products on sale across all sectors, incorporating both products
that are manufactured and consumed in France and products that are
imported into the country.
This is part of a wider programme, the French National Strategy for
Sustainable Development (SNDD 2010-2013), to influence production
and consumption patterns via:
- Provision to the entire production and distribution chain with new indicators to encourage better eco-designed products
- Inclusion of an environmental component in consumer purchasing choices to support behavioural change
The call for candidates to participate in the national
initiative is now open. The deadline is fixed for the 31st of
December 2010. The call for application is aimed at all companies,
unions, federations or other groups (producers and/or retailers)
who market products in France.
More information can be found in our briefing document available here.
There are huge opportunities for UK businesses who export to France
to stay ahead of the game and give the scheme every chance of
success. It's an opportunity to differentiate their brand, secure
their position in the French market and influence the mechanics of
the scheme. Companies need to prepare now if they want to take part
in the voluntary phase.
