5 levers that will make a difference

+20% more packaging in fifteen years. How can we substantially reverse the upward trend in the marketing of single-use packaging? Companies are now well aware of the need to optimize weight, size and empty space, but on average this only results in a 2% reduction in packaging. That’s not enough. To go further, it’s vital to re-evaluate all packaging features based on the fundamental needs of the product (protection, transport, information) and the environmental impact generated.​ And this applies to all materials ! 5 levers can make a difference : 

• Eliminate bulk packaging, such as cardboard boxes or plastic film around batches of crisp packets ; 

• Develop larger sizes to offer the same amount of product with less packaging ;

• Promote flexible containers, preferably refills, while endeavouring to make them recyclable ;

• Rethink certain features, because sometimes providing too much user comfort or convenience comes with a high environmental cost; 

• Experiment with solid, concentrated or diluted products that provide the same quantity of product. From solid shampoos to shower gels and concentrated deodorants, the hygiene and beauty industry is starting to take the plunge ! 

So where do we start ? The first step is to define the challenges for each lever, and then the industrial sectors (and therefore the products) for which the deployment of each of these levers seems appropriate. Our outlook for 2025: to launch specific projects and studies to identify and experiment with solutions adapted to our products. 

Look before you leap  

It’s standard practice to review existing practices before embarking on a project. Thanks to the reduction positioning tool developed by Citeo’s teams, corporate clients can now determine whether their packaging is heavier or lighter than what is already on the market. Benchmarking enable us to position our reduction project against the competition, but above all to define concrete objectives and identify areas for improvement : rethinking the weight, dimensions and thickness of our packaging, and more generally, rethinking our packaging and its features. The analysis is currently available for: water, soft drinks, juice; meat, deli products, ready meals ; deodorants, sprays, aerosols ; beer ; and yoghurt. 

« Less is more ! »

That’s the slogan chosen by Citeo to mobilise citizen consumers and businesses to reduce packaging. One of our key actions is an online tool that enables consumers to report packaging that they think is excessive and enables brands to receive support from Citeo to help them make changes. Too large, too heavy, too empty, non-essential… the reports received via the platform are forwarded to the companies concerned and are analysed by our eco-design experts. This feedback also enables them to better understand how consumers perceive packaging, and to identify weaknesses and opportunities for reduction.  

Two studies that provide new insights on reduction  

An analysis of the issue of empty space has been conducted, listing more than 30 (good) reasons why empty space can exist in packaging, grouped into 3 themes: empty space linked to product properties, empty space linked to the packaging process, and empty space linked to marketing and sales issues. This first deliverable provided a better understanding of the issues surrounding empty space in packaging, which may be perceived as unnecessary and wasteful. Work began in the second half of 2024 to look at ways of reducing the empty space in packaging, with a particular focus on a few specific products and their lines.

A study into the restitution rate of packaging showed that optimizing tube thickness by 33% also improved product restitution by over 13%, helping to reduce the impact of waste. Overall, flexible packaging (particularly doypacks) achieved better results in terms of restitution (over 97% compared to around 90% for rigid formats).

Reuse is increasing fastest in the north-west of France

Pays-de-la-Loire, Brittany, Normandy & Hauts-de-France regions: Starting in spring 2025, 4 pilot regions will host a reuse scheme in supermarkets for food products. The first standardised reusable packaging will be available on the shelves of stores for several types of product (beverages, groceries, etc.).

Pooling schemes, delivery, packaging, display, collection, and rinsing: these reuse loops are designed in collaboration with all stakeholders across the entire chain. Invitations to tender, calls for proposals and calls for expressions of interest will be used to select the stakeholders who will take an active part in this change of scale, across all aspects of the project. 

R-coeur packaging is getting ready to launch

A new kind of packaging is being produced by Citeo’s glass manufacturing partners: engraved with an R (for reuse) and marked with a heart for easy identification, suitable for multiple reuse loops, easily interchangeable between products and customizable by brand: these are the key features of the packaging that will be used from the end of 2024 and during the regional pilot in 2025 (see above). Work to date includes the production of moulds, prototyping, and tests of robustness and ability to withstand multiple washing cycles. As a result, 6 types of glass container will be introduced over the coming months: bottles and jars.

Other projects currently in the pipeline include wine bottles, PET plastic bottles and R&D to produce stainless steel or plastic trays for fresh produce.

* Provisional dates depending on feedback from trials and tests, and order volume availability

Financing and supporting pilot projects

What do a bulk unit for skin care products, a machine for collecting reusable packaging and a reuse scheme for supermarkets have in common? These projects are all winners of the call for proposals launched by Citeo and Adelphe, ‘EncoRE plus de réemploi’. In 2023, 144 projects were selected, with unprecedented funding of €33 million. Of these projects, 67 benefit from specific support from Citeo’s teams because they offer the potential for standardisation, innovation or pooling. In 2024, it is even better, we are nearing 250 projets and a financial support going up to €50 million (estimated at the end of december 2024). Citeo is encouraging pilot projects by bearing some of the cost for all stakeholders, companies, local authorities and solution providers.

Our team and some of the prize winners at the Bulk and Reuse Fair (Salon du vrac et du réemploi) in May 2024.

‘Reuse again and again’ : one campaign, 3 new uses

The aim of the ‘Reuse again and again’ campaign is to familiarise people in a simple, practical way with the 3 types of reuse – bulk, refills and reusable packaging. Launched in November 2024, just a few months before the regional operation on reusable packaging in 4 regions of France, it involves consumers in the daily lives of people who have made a positive choice in favour of reuse.

TV, social media, digital… this campaign was rolled out across several media platforms to reach as many people as possible, regardless of their level of knowledge, practice or perception of reuse. It will continue in 2025.

Calls for proposals for waste collection give a boost to France’s historic ‘yellow bin’

Since 2018, calls for proposals for waste collection have supported local authorities’ efforts to improve their performance. A mid-term review in 2023 shows that it’s working : +34% for light packaging (cardboard, plastic and metal) and +10% for glass packaging. Expenditure for glass (in €/tonne) fell by 5.8%.

To do even better, the 2024 call for proposals focused on the following levers : improving the performance of plastics, metals, paper and glass, as well as the capture of cardboard and fibrous materials ; reducing rejection rates at sorting centres ; and implementing incentive-based tariffs. It’s 140 more projects supported by Citeo.

From house to street: never break the sorting chain

We’re on course to meet the target of universal selective collection in public spaces by 1 January 2025. The 169 projects supported by Citeo in 2024 will make it possible to pass from 5% to 25% of territory equipped with out-of-home sorting.

The major sporting events of 2024 have accelerated the introduction of permanent sorting facilities in sports venues… but that’s not all! From train stations to stadiums, fan zones and villages, sorting was possible during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Vendée Globe. A legacy of these thrilling events, these facilities will continue to be used.

And for sites whose packaging is not collected by the public waste prevention and management service (such as company offices or cinemas), we will be offering support for the recovery of sorted packaging and paper from 2025.

Things are moving fast in the French overseas territories

Geographically and culturally specific, the French overseas territories need bespoke support – especially as they are home to a wealth of biodiversity. Spotlight on some of the measures implemented in these regions.

Motivating the public to sort : since 2022, from the French West Indies to the Indian Ocean, awareness-raising campaigns have been designed to take into account the cultural specifics of each territory… and with a sense of humour, thanks to the character Mamie Noutri ! They complement actions on the ground during major events, such as the Grand Raid on Réunion Island.

Local recovery and recycling : 75% of waste from the French overseas territories is exported for recycling. To develop the circular economy in these regions, we are supporting 10 local recycling projects. What does that look like? Developing recycling lines, urban furniture made from packaging with no other outlet, or producing solid recovered fuel.

Sorting, even in remote areas : such as Maripasoula, located in the Community of Communes of West Guyana, in the heart of the Amazonian Park. The area, accessible only by canoe and plane, is equipped with a collection system to enable its 9,177 inhabitants to sort their waste.

Citeo is also committed in Mayotte, with a wide-ranging programme of action and increased support in 2023 and 2024 following the island’s water crisis.

1, 2 and now 3 secondary sorting centers

These are one fundamental component of the new recycling streams. After passing through a sorting centre, secondary sorting centres process plastic packaging for which recycling streams are currently being developed, and which account for small volumes today but should reach 100,000 tonnes in one or two years’ time : yoghurt pots, opaque and dark PET bottles and PET trays. Equipped with the latest technology, and sometimes even artificial intelligence, they enable extremely precise sorting to produce a very high quality of material for recycling plants, in particular for re-manufacturing food packaging. The Ruffey-lès-Beaune and Epinal sites (with a total capacity of 55,000 tonnes/year) opened in 2024. A third site, at Mende, will be commissioned and opened in 2025. 2025 will also be the year in which the recycling channel of compact polystyrene yoghurt pots becomes operational.

Studies to better understand the issue

This is a new subject that is not easily addressed. What is litter ? Why does it happen? Where exactly is it found, how much of it is there? …So many questions which still need to be addressed to tackle this problem. Whether on our own or in partnership, we have launched two major studies in 2023 and 2024. The first study assessed the amount of litter in urban areas, and its composition, during 4 data collection campaigns in more than 195 towns and cities. It shows that 1% of the packaging sold in France every year ends up on the ground, whether unintentionally or not – that’s 6.4 million packaging items every day. The most common items are plastic and paper bags, cans and plastic bottles. A second study, which is ongoing, aims to assess the presence and dispersal of litter in natural environments. Other studies on clean-up techniques and their cost have also been launched.

Agreements and plans to take more effective action  

This is one of our flagship schemes for supporting local authorities responsible for public sanitation: agreements, combined with plans to combat littering. Between September 2023 and November 2024, more than 1,200 agreements were signed, enabling local authorities to receive financial support depending on their size. To do what? To implement cleaning initiatives, as well as identification and prevention measures. Paris, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg… that’s 1/3 of the country benefiting from these initiatives on the ground. Key actions include identifying littering hotspots, establishing ‘green brigades’ to raise awareness among residents, and cleaning up areas, with increasingly environmentally-friendly practices (switching to electric, limiting water consumption, etc.).

Agreements have also been signed with the authorities responsible for managing natural areas such as the Calanques and Guadeloupe National Parks, the Grand Site Salagou and the Iroise Natural Marine Park.

A campaign to mobilise people more effectively

With our first campaign on the subject launched in June 2024, and under the slogan ‘On ne lâche rien !’ (We’re Not Giving Up !), we want to change the perceptions associated with litter. No, they are not always the result of antisocial behaviour : litter can be dropped by anyone.

The campaign encourages us to do the right thing : pick up, keep, sort or throw away our rubbish. The campaign’s TV adverts feature characters in situations that could result in them dropping litter on the ground, but at the crucial moment, everyone gets their act together, takes positive action and does the right thing.

Broadcast on TV, radio, online and on social media in particular, the campaign appealed to 87% of those questioned in our studies, and 90% wanted to be more vigilant about not leaving litter on the ground or in the environment after seeing the campaign.

 These promising results mean that we can look forward to a second wave in 2025, with our ideas being revived or adapted.

Partnerships to include biodiversity in our campaigns

We work with an ecosystem, in particular associations, to test, experiment and produce tools for local authorities and public stakeholders. Here’s a brief overview.

To get our messages across to the public with Clean Habits : with the national ‘Keep it, sort it’ programme to raise awareness of the right thing to do in natural areas that do not yet have sorting facilities. There’s also the national ‘little litter’ campaign to raise awareness of the impact of small items of litter and remind people to do the right thing.

To develop ready-made tools for the stakeholders we wish to support : with FRENE (the French Nature Education Network) and the development of an education-harnessing tool for public sector nature managers and leaders; with MerTerre and the production of a critical analysis of the Adopt 1 Spot scheme, to better estimate the impact and understand the key conditions for success.

To improve our knowledge of certain areas and better address their problems : with Mountain Riders, to better understand the challenges of mountain environments and propose appropriate actions and tools; since 2024, with the French League for the Protection of Birds, to relay to local authorities and managers of natural areas clean-up practices that have a minimal impact on biodiversity.

*Mountain riders – © Yann Allegre – Stop Waste Les Arcs 2023