Recycling labeling considered “disproportionate”: obliges companies to do special packaging for France.
The European Commission has decided to move forward with a judicial process against France due to the imposition of mandatory labels to separate waste that, according to Brussels, violate the principle of free movement of goods in the single market of the European Union, advances.
Since 2022, France has required producers of certain goods-such as packaging, textiles, gardening equipment and electronics-include waste symbols, known as “Timan” logo or “info-ri” label.
These labels indicate consumers how they should properly rule out each component of the products. But the commission considers that this national imposition is “disproportionate”And represents an obstacle to the functioning of the domestic market.
Brussels had warned Paris several times about this situation, arguing that the harmonization of labeling rules should occur at Europe. In 2023, the EU approved new packaging rules that will require, from August 2028, a common tag For all products in the community space, with information about the composition of materials, to facilitate the screening by consumers.
Companies and associations in the sector have criticized the French requirement, claiming that differences in national obligations increase costs and make it difficult to commercialize products at European level. French logos obliges companies to change the design of packaging only to the French market.
